ping

ping Definition

ping (piŋ)

noun

Etymology: echoic

intransitive verb, transitive verb

to make or cause to make such a sound

ping Synonyms

ting, clink, sonar echo; see sound 2.

ping Telecom Definition

A utility used to test a path from one host computer to another across an IP-based network in what is essentially a command to echo the packet from the remote host back to the originating host. Ping is an application of the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). Ping was invented by Mike Muuss of the Army Research Laboratory in 1983 to diagnose an IP network problem. Muuss had done a considerable amount of work in college on sonar and radar modeling and was inspired by the principle of echo location. He named the utility after the sound that sonar makes when a signal returns.A lot of people think that ping is an acronym for Packet INternet Groper. According to Muuss, "packet internet groper" is a backronym reverse-engineered by Dr. David L. Mills. Note: Mills warns people that the clock on his wall runs backwards. I guess that explains it. See also acronym, backronym, host, ICMP, IP, radar, sonar, and utility.
Slang for bouncing something off someone, i.e., asking someone a question, as in "Hold on just a minute while I ping Margaret and see if she'd like to join us."

ping Usage Examples

Object

sphone.vopr.vonage.net: I tried pinging the vonage proxy sphone.vopr.vonage.net but it didn't reply.
ball: They lapped up some one-dimensional play, with the Ambers content to just ping the ball into the penalty area.
server: Next, can you ping the server by its own IP address?
host: The tests range from simple ADSL line sync, through to pinging hosts out on the Internet.
machine: You now should be able to ping both machines from each other.
computer: Run through the following tests in order: Ping a computer on your local network.

Converse of object

send: The target computer will send a ping back to confirm.
enable: In fact, I just created a new test article and enabled the pings and all worked fine.

Adjective modifier

low: With a low ping, you can work out easily how little you need to aim ahead of players in order to hit them.
high: There are high pings to even their email servers at peak times.

Modifies a noun

pong: Well Andorra did beat the North Korean women's ping pong team in a five aside last April.
paddle: You can even spin the ball, just like a ping pong paddle!
---: The third section, everything after the line " --- mango ping statistics --- " , shows a summary of the results.
ball: I also have a ping pong ball size bone spur on the back of my right heal.
packet: Lots of network management " scanners " will precede a scan using a special ping packet.
command: There are several useful options to the ping command.

Followed by an intransitive particle

off: When you touch the cabbage leaves they ping off just like the regular fleas, only these won't bite you!

Noun used with modifier

trackback: The only problem is that I resaved it 4 times and now poor graybo has 4 trackback pings from the same post.
---: The third section, everything after the line " --- mango ping statistics --- " , shows a summary of the results.
command: At the prompt in the MS-DOS Prompt window type the command ping cus.cam.ac.uk [ Enter ] .

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