In the process of setting up a Linux-based network system, a technician needs to determine if there is connectivity to a hostname. Which command…

The ping command is the standard utility used to test the reachability of a host on an Internet Protocol (IP) network. It sends Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) "Echo Request" packets to the specified hostname or IP address and waits for an ICMP "Echo Reply". The successful return of these packets confirms that a network path exists between the source and destination and that the remote host is active and responsive. The output provides key connectivity metrics like round-trip time and packet loss, directly addressing the technician's need to determine connectivity.

B. nslookup: This command is a Domain Name System (DNS) query tool used to resolve a hostname to an IP address; it does not test network connectivity to the host.

C. ifconfig: This command is used to view and configure the network interfaces on the local machine, not to test connectivity to a remote host.

D. dig: The Domain Information Groper (dig) is another DNS lookup utility, like nslookup. It verifies name resolution but does not confirm host reachability.

1. Linux Man Pages: The official manual page for the ping command explicitly states its function. "ping sends ICMP ECHOREQUEST packets to network hosts." This is the fundamental mechanism for testing connectivity. (Source: ping(8) Linux manual page

available on any standard Linux distribution).

2. MIT OpenCourseWare: In the "Missing Semester of Your CS Education" course

Lecture 8 on Networking describes ping as the primary tool for its purpose: "The most basic one is ping

which will tell you if a server is reachable by ICMP." (Source: MIT Missing Semester

Lecture 8: Networking

Tools section

Paragraph 1).

3. Stanford University

CS 144 Course Material: Networking courses at reputable universities consistently introduce ping as the basic connectivity testing tool. For example

lab assignments in Stanford's CS 144 (Introduction to Computer Networking) course utilize ping to verify network setups and troubleshoot connectivity between virtual hosts. (Source: Stanford University

CS 144 Lab Assignments

e.g.

Lab 0: Networking Warmup).