26
Troubleshooting
P
INGING
YOUR
NETWORK
CARD
PING
is the acronym for Packet Internet Groper (PING), a utility to determine if a
specific IP address is accessible. It works by sending a packet to the specified
address and waiting for a reply. Ping is primarily used to troubleshoot Internet
connections. By sending out a ping, you are verifying that a specific computer is
available. Because all computers on the network must have a unique IP address,
getting a reply means that a computer is on the network and that it can
communicate.
If the computers can communicate, the hardware and cabling are probably okay. If
you cannot ping another computer, there is probably a problem with the
hardware. Check the cabling and adapter installation. If you are unable to
network, even when you receive a reply to your ping, there is probably a software
configuration problem. Verify that all the settings are correct.
To ping the network card:
1
Click
Start
, then click
Run
. The
Run
dialog box opens.
2
Type
command
in the
Open
box, then click
OK
. The
command.com
screen
opens.
3
Type
ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
(where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address you
want to ping). In this case, computer B with the IP address=192.168.0.1 is
being pinged from computer A.
4
Press
Enter
to begin pinging. If the connection is good, you receive four
“Reply from” messages.
5
Type
exit
at the prompt to return to Windows.
Dynex5x7-multi.book Page 26 Thursday, September 8, 2005 11:07 AM
