Which command-line tool sends ICMP echo requests to test basic connectivity between two devices and measures round-trip time?

Which command-line tool sends ICMP echo requests to test basic connectivity between two devices and measures round-trip time?

• A. Traceroute
• B. Nslookup
• C. Ping
• D. Netstat

Answer: (C)

Testing basic connectivity and latency relies on sending an ICMP Echo Request to a destination and waiting for a matching Echo Reply. This exchange lets you confirm whether the two devices can reach each other and measure the time it takes for a round trip. The tool that does this directly is Ping, designed to issue those Echo Requests and report the responses, giving you a simple yes/no reachable verdict plus timing data and a sense of packet loss when requests fail. Why this works well: ICMP Echo Request/Reply is purpose-built for diagnostics. Each reply shows how long that particular message took to traverse the network, so you get immediate feedback on reachability and latency. Repeating the requests builds a picture of stability and performance, and occasional timeouts highlight potential packet loss or congestion. To place it in context, other common networking tools serve different purposes. Traceroute reveals the path to a destination and the latency to each hop, not just the end-to-end RTT. Nslookup queries DNS to resolve domain names and verify name resolution works. Netstat shows current network connections and listening ports. Ping remains the go-to for a quick, direct check of whether two endpoints can communicate and how long that communication takes. Keep in mind that some networks block ICMP, so ping may not get replies even when other protocols can reach the destination.

Testing basic connectivity and latency relies on sending an ICMP Echo Request to a destination and waiting for a matching Echo Reply. This exchange lets you confirm whether the two devices can reach each other and measure the time it takes for a round trip. The tool that does this directly is Ping, designed to issue those Echo Requests and report the responses, giving you a simple yes/no reachable verdict plus timing data and a sense of packet loss when requests fail.

Why this works well: ICMP Echo Request/Reply is purpose-built for diagnostics. Each reply shows how long that particular message took to traverse the network, so you get immediate feedback on reachability and latency. Repeating the requests builds a picture of stability and performance, and occasional timeouts highlight potential packet loss or congestion.

To place it in context, other common networking tools serve different purposes. Traceroute reveals the path to a destination and the latency to each hop, not just the end-to-end RTT. Nslookup queries DNS to resolve domain names and verify name resolution works. Netstat shows current network connections and listening ports. Ping remains the go-to for a quick, direct check of whether two endpoints can communicate and how long that communication takes. Keep in mind that some networks block ICMP, so ping may not get replies even when other protocols can reach the destination.