Test Network Connections via the Terminal

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Every so often, you will want to check and see if a network is connected to the Internet.  Their is a quick Terminal command that will let you do just that called ping.  This command will work with all versions of Linux, Unix, Mac OS X, MacOS, and some versions of Microsoft Windows via the DOS prompt (Start > Run > Command.com). 

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Here’s how to use it:

1. Open a terminal window (Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal).
2. Type: ping www.apple.com

The above command will send 10 packets of information to the above domain.  If the computer is connected to a network, it will return detailed information about the response time.  If, however, the computer is not connected to a network, then the packet information will return an error.

By the way, the ping command can include a name of a web site, or its IP address.  It can also come in handy if you wanted to ping a local computer as long as you know its IP address.

Like so:

• ping 192.168.0.5

The mentioned error rules would apply for the network computer’s IP address.

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Dan Uff

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