How to Ping Another Computer From OS X

Ping is a network command that helps determine if another computer on a network is available and what the response time will be to exchange information with the computer. Ping is essentially a measurement of network performance in milliseconds, with a lower value indicating a quicker response time and better performance. If you have the network name, domain name or IP address of another computer, you can send a ping command to it from your Mac to determine the response time.

Things You'll Need

• Networked computer
• Domain name, computer name or IP address of system to ping

Instructions

1. Open Finder on your dock.

2. Select the "Applications" directory on the left of the screen, then select "Utilities" followed by "Network Utility."

3. Select the "Ping" tab.

4. Enter the IP address, domain name or network name of the computer you'd like to ping. For example, enter "ping google.com" to see your response time to Google's Web servers. If you are not sure of the system's address, consult your network administrator.

5. Modify the value in "Send only..." to limit the number of pings that will be sent. Multiple pings are sent to determine an average performance rate over a period of time. The default of 10 pings should be enough to receive an accurate benchmark on a network that is not over-trafficked.

6. Click "Ping" to ping the computer and get a response time, displayed as milliseconds.

References

• Indiana University: In Mac OS X, how can I check to see if a computer is on the network?