What tool can be used to test network connectivity?

The ping command is widely utilized for testing network connectivity because it sends Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request packets to a specific IP address or hostname and listens for Echo Reply packets in return. This process determines if the destination is reachable and measures the round-trip time for data to travel to the destination and back. By observing the reply times and loss of packets, network administrators can ascertain the status and performance of the network connection.

While traceroute provides information about the route packets take to reach a destination, which is useful for diagnosing routing issues, it is not primarily designed to test basic connectivity. nslookup is used to query Domain Name System (DNS) records and resolve hostnames to IP addresses, making it valuable for troubleshooting DNS issues rather than testing connectivity. Netstat displays network connections, routing tables, and a number of network interface statistics but does not actively test whether a connection can be established to a specific host. Thus, the ping command remains the straightforward and most effective tool for directly testing network connectivity.