Version 4.1 User's Guide
Ping Sentry	Previous | Next Contents

The Ping Sentry can send a ping to any network device and await the reply. Sending a ping (also known as an "echo") to a device confirms that the device is on and that basic TCP/IP networking is functioning properly.

The Ping Sentry can not verify that any services (such as HTTP, FTP, etc.) on the remote device are working properly, so you should always use a higher level Sentry when one is available. However, if there is not another Sentry that can perform a test of the device, the Ping Sentry will do the job. In addition, using Ping Sentries to test remote servers or routers is an excellent way to test networking links. For example, you can ping your ISP's router or gateway to effectively verify that your Internet connection is functioning properly.

Figure 15: Configuring a new Ping Sentry.

To configure the Sentry, fill in the appropriate fields. In addition to the common configuration options, the Ping Sentry has the following options:

Machine Name

This is the name or address of the device you want to test, in the form "mymachine.yourcom.com".

Timeout

This is the amount of time the Ping Sentry will wait for a reply to its original ping. Options range from 3 seconds to 2 minutes.

Typical ping times are less than one second, even for ping tests of remote computers not located directly on your LAN. The default timeout of 5 seconds is almost always adequate, and it is unlikely you will need to increase it. However, if a ping Sentry is incorrectly detecting server failures, especially during periods of peak network usage, a longer timeout may resolve the problem.

Copyright © 1995-2002 Maxum Development Corporation http://www.maxum.com/ Rev. 7/10/02	Previous | Next Contents