Ping

[ping] /pɪŋ/

verb (used without object)
1.
to produce a sharp sound like that of a bullet striking a sheet of metal.
verb (used with object)
2.
Computers. to send an echo-request packet to (an IP address) and use the echo reply to determine whether another computer on the network is operational and the speed at which the data is being transferred.
3.
to make contact with (someone) by sending a brief electronic message, as a text message: The design team should ping marketing to set up a meeting next week.
Ping me when you arrive, and I’ll meet you at the door.
noun
4.
a pinging sound.
5.
an infrasonic or ultrasonic sound wave created by sonar in echolocation.
6.
an acoustic signal transmitted to indicate a location:
Rescue crews were able to follow the ping and locate the flight recorder.
7.
Computers. an echo-request and echo-reply protocol that tests a connection online or in a network by sending a packet to a host IP address and measuring the round-trip speed of data transfer.
8.
one of the possible sounds made by an electronic or mobile device to signal the receipt of data, as a phone or text message.
/pɪŋ/
noun
1.
a short high-pitched resonant sound, as of a bullet striking metal or a sonar echo
2.
(computing) a system for testing whether internet systems are responding and how long in milliseconds it takes them to respond
verb
3.
(intransitive) to make such a noise
4.
(transitive) (computing) to send a test message to (a computer or server) in order to check whether it is responding or how long it takes it to respond
verb

to get someone’s attention with a sharp sound or other form of communication
Usage Note

informal
n.

1835, imitative of the sound of a bullet striking something sharply. Meaning “short, high-pitched electronic pulse” is attested from 1943. As a verb from 1855; in computer sense is from at least 1981. Related: Pinged; pinging.

verb

To get someone’s attention with a sharp sound or other form of communication: ping my accountant with April 15 getting close
networking, tool
(ping, originally contrived to match submariners’ term for the sound of a returned sonar pulse) A program written in 1983 by Mike Muuss (who also wrote TTCP) used to test reachability of destinations by sending them one, or repeated, ICMP echo requests and waiting for replies. Since ping works at the IP level its server-side is often implemented entirely within the operating system kernel and is thus the lowest level test of whether a remote host is alive. Ping will often respond even when higher level, TCP-based services cannot.
Sadly, Mike Muuss was killed in a road accident on 2000-11-20.
The term is also used as a verb: “Ping host X to see if it is up.”
The Unix command “ping” can be used to do this and to measure round-trip delays.
The funniest use of “ping” was described in January 1991 by Steve Hayman on the Usenet group comp.sys.next. He was trying to isolate a faulty cable segment on a TCP/IP Ethernet hooked up to a NeXT machine. Using the sound recording feature on the NeXT, he wrote a script that repeatedly invoked ping, listened for an echo, and played back the recording on each returned packet. This caused the machine to repeat, over and over, “Ping … ping … ping …” as long as the network was up. He turned the volume to maximum, ferreted through the building with one ear cocked, and found a faulty tee connector in no time.
Ping did not stand for “Packet InterNet Groper”, Dave Mills offered this backronym expansion some time later.
See also ACK, ENQ, traceroute, spray.
The Story of the Ping Program (http://ftp.arl.mil/~mike/ping.html).
Unix manual page: ping(8).
(2005-06-22)
Packet Internet Groper