How does the ping command work by default?

Question

Options

• AIs sends an ICMP Echo Request to a remote host and waits to receive an ICMP Echo Response
• BIt sends an ARP request to a remote host and waits to receive an ARP response in return.
• CIt sends a TCP SYN packet to a remote host and waits to receive an TCP ACK response in
• DIs sends a broadcast packet to all hosts on the net and waits to receive, among others, a
• EIt sends a UDP packet to port 0 of the remote host and waits to receive a UDP error response in

• A
  83% (25)
• B
  10% (3)
• D
  3% (1)
• E
  3% (1)

Explanation

ping works by sending ICMP Echo Request packets to a target host and listening for ICMP Echo Reply packets in return - this is what option A describes. ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) is a Layer 3 protocol specifically designed for network diagnostics and error reporting, making it the natural fit for connectivity testing.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• B (ARP) - ARP resolves IP addresses to MAC addresses and only works on the local network segment; it cannot reach remote hosts across routers.
• C (TCP SYN/ACK) - That describes a TCP handshake, which is a connection-oriented Layer 4 operation; ping operates at Layer 3 and is connectionless.
• D (broadcast) - ping targets a specific host, not all hosts; broadcasts are also typically blocked by routers.
• E (UDP to port 0) - traceroute on Linux uses UDP probes, not ping; ping doesn't use UDP at all.

Memory tip: Think of ping as "echo" - ICMP even calls its message types Echo Request and Echo Reply. You're literally shouting into the network and waiting for your voice to bounce back.

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