No computer is an island. We connect to so many different servers throughout the day that
we don’t even think about it. Until we can’t connect. Or the connection lags so much that you start to consider
going offline for a while (gasp!).
Maybe you could use a break, but this can be a huge problem if your customers can’t connect to your site or server.
The first step in diagnosing the problem is running a ping test.
In a ping test, your desktop or laptop sends a ping to the server. The server should ping back almost instantly. If it takes more than a few seconds, the problem is our old enemy – lag. If you get no response at all from your ping test, you’ve got an even bigger problem. Once you know what the problem is, you can troubleshoot it. You probably want to run regular ping tests so that if a problem arises, you’ll know about it before the CEO does.
DiY Ping Testing
The quick and dirty way to run a ping test is with a Windows command.
At the commend prompt, type the applicable command:
To ping an IP address, enter: ping 123.123.1.1
To ping a website, type: ping dotcom-monitor.com
You should get the ping test results in a few seconds. You’ll get the minimum, maximum, and average number of milliseconds it takes for a round trip between your PC and the server. This is fine if you only run ping tests every now and then. If you need to do it more often, an automated tool will make your life so much easier.
Ping Testing Tools
A ping testing solution, such as Dotcom-Monitor’s ICMP/Ping Tool offers all the automation you could want. Most importantly, a tool like this will continuously ping your servers so that you’ll know about an outage almost immediately. Continuous monitoring means that you’ll be able to fix problems before your clients or customers even know there’s an issue.
Step 1: Identify everything you need to ping during each test.
For an eCommerce site, that could be the home page, login page, and checkout pages. Be sure to include anything that’s mission-critical for your business.
Step 2: Enter all the IP or website addresses into the ping testing tool. Any tool worth the cost should make this intuitive.
Step 3: Run a one-time ping test for all these addresses. If you entered any of the IP or website addresses incorrectly (typos are the enemy of software testing), you’ll find out now.
Step 4: Set up a schedule for automatic ping testing. For a web application accessed by clients only during local business hours, round the clock testing is unnecessary. E Commerce sites that need to be up and running all the time require 24/7 ping testing. You can also use these tools to run one-time ping tests as needed.
Don’t Skimp on Ping Testing
A failed ping test indicates a problem with your company’s mission critical functions.
Relying on manual spot testing simply isn’t enough to keep your business afloat.
