IP Address

• The “-i” option, followed by an IP address, specifies a specific IP address for ping to send the packets from, if the computer has multiple IP addresses configured. For example, “ping -i 192.168.1.1 example.com” sends ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packets from the network interface at 192.168.1.1 to “example.com.” The website at example.com responds to the pings if it’s configured to do so.
  
  

Route

• The “-o” option directs ping to insert an IP Record Route option in each outgoing packet’s header. The ping command displays a summary of the path the packet took across the network after it finishes. The route can display problems on the network, including points with a large delay or points where the ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packets are unable to continue. For example, the command “ping -o example.com” displays a summary of the path the packets took to reach the server at example.com.
  
  

Path MTU

• The “-p” option directs the ping command to display information about the new maximum transmission unit size the command users when it lowers the size. The ICMP Datagram Too Big message is sent from a gateway that receives a packet too large to process. The ping command sends smaller packets in response to this message, but hides this information unless the “-p” option is used.
  
  

Bypass Routing

• The “-r” option bypasses the system’s routing tables and sends an ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packet to a host directly attached to the computer. For example, “ping -r 192.168.0.0” sends packets to the IP address at 192.168.0.0 only if it’s on the same network as the HP-UX system. Rather than routing the ping request through gateways as normal, the command fails if the destination isn’t on the same network.
  
  

Time-to-live

• The “-t” option, followed by a number, sets the time-to-live value for the ping packets to the specified value. For example, “ping -t 255 example.com” sends a ping request to example.com with a TTL value of 255. Each router that recieves the packet reduces its time-to-live value by one. Eventually, once the time-to-live value reaches zero, routers discard the packet and stop forwarding it to other routers. Low values could result in a packet being discarded before it reaches its destination.