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When using ping for fault isolation, it should first be run
on the local host, to verify that the local network interface is up
and running. Then, hosts and gateways further and further away should
be pinged. Round-trip times and packet loss statistics are computed.
If duplicate packets are received, they are not included in the packet
loss calculation, although the round trip time of these packets is
used in calculating the minimum/average/maximum round-trip time
numbers. When the specified number of packets have been sent (and
received) or if the program is terminated with a ‘SIGINT’, a
brief summary is displayed.
This program is intended for use in network testing, measurement and management. Because of the load it can impose on the network, it is unwise to use ping during normal operations or from automated scripts.