To determine whether a remote host or other network interface on the same logical host is reachable, you can issue a TCPIP PING command. This command serves as a diagnostic tool to test the connectivity within or between hosts. It enables you to determine if a problem originates at the local host or at a remote host somewhere in your network.
When you issue this command, an ICMP echo request is sent to a specific destination. This destination could be either of the following:
-
A specific remote destination host or domain name
-
Another network interface on the same logical host
When the destination receives the request, it responds by sending an ICMP echo reply back to you at the initiating source. When the initiating source receives the responding packet from the destination host, you will know that the network connection between the two hosts or two network interfaces on the same logical host are correctly configured.
The success or failure of the PING is reported in either the TCPIP PING REPORT FOR NODE report (41007) or the TCPIP PING REQUEST NOT SENT report (41009). To redisplay these reports on the system console, enter MSG NW at the system console. In addition, if the PING command was initiated from the system console, then the PING report is also displayed in a manner similar to a response on the system console. Refer to the Networking Reports and Log Messages Help for complete syntax on these reports.
Determining Whether a Remote Host or Domain Name Is Reachable
To issue this command to determine if a specific remote host or domain name is reachable, enter one of the following from your system console:
NW TCPIP PING <destination ip address>
NW TCPIP PING <destination hostname>
NW TCPIP PING <destination domain name>
The variables are described as follows.
|
Variable |
Description |
|---|---|
|
<destination ip address> or <destination hostname> |
The remote destination (ip address or hostname) to which you are sending the echo request. IP address can be either an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address. |
|
<destination domain name> |
The domain name on which the hostname is configured. This is a fully qualified domain name. For example: Some.Big.Company.Com Host name = Some Domain name = Some.Big.Company.Com Note that there is no keyword token associated with this variable (see Note 2 below). |
Determining Whether Another Network Interface Is Reachable
You can also issue the TCPIP PING command and include the FROM keyword token to specify a source for the echo request. This enables you to determine if another network interface on the same logical host is reachable. To specify a source address for the echo request, enter the following from your system console:
NW TCPIP PING <destination ip address> FROM <source ip address>
The variables are described as follows.
|
Variable |
Description |
|---|---|
|
<destination ip address> |
The destination IP address to which you are sending the echo request. This could be on the same logical host or it could be on a remote host. The IP address can be either an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address. |
|
<source ip address> |
The network interface from which the echo request is being sent. |
If the TCPIP PING command is successful, you receive the following response:
TCPIP PING ENABLED TO: <TCPIP hostname>/<IP address> FROM: <IP address>
This response indicates that the TCP/IP PING command was successfully issued. You must then view the TCP/IP PING REPORT FOR NODE report to determine the success or failure of the PING. If the PING is successful, it is an indication that the network connection between the destination host that you sent a PING (echo request) to and your source host is correctly configured.
-
The TCPIP PING command has many options that are available to you when sending a PING request. To view all the options, refer to the full command syntax in the Networking Commands and Inquiries Help. For additional operational information on this command, see Verifying That Packets Are Received by a Remote Host.
-
You can use the TCPIP PING command to check on a destination domain name by issuing a TCPIP PING <domain name> command. The domain name can be either a host name or a fully qualified domain name. Note that there is no keyword token associated with <domain name>.
