Terminal Tips: Ping

By C.K. Sample, III

This one is simple.  If you want to check out the connection speed between your Mac and the computer of your friend who lives in India to make sure that there will be minimal lag in the Quake frag-fest on which you are both about to embark, launch the Terminal (in /Applications/Utilities/) and type ping followed by your friend's IP address. For example, Google's IP address is 64.233.161.104.  If you type this address in your browser, Google's familiar front page will pop up.  In the Terminal, type ping 64.233.161.104 and hit return. Your Mac will send out a little "Hello" and the remote Google computer will send back a little "Hi." They will continue having this little conversation until you hit CTRL+C. Each time they successfully communicate, the Terminal will list the ammount of time it took for the data to be transfered in milliseconds.  The less time between "hello" and "hi," the better your chances of having a lag-free Quake game. If you want to find out more info about ping, simply type man ping in the Terminal.
 

Recommended