---
id: network--ping-plugin
title: "Ping"
summary: "Sends one ICMP echo request (ping) to a host for every record it receives and emits the result. Use it for simple availability checks of servers and network devices."
audience: user
keywords: "input, output, continue, address, timeout"
---
# Ping

Sends one ICMP echo request (ping) to a host for every record it receives and emits the result. Use it for simple availability checks of servers and network devices.

## Pins

| Pin | Kind | Types | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input | input | any | Each record triggers one ping. The input content is not used. |
| Output | output | `Viaducta.Plugins.PingPlugin.PingReply` | Result of the ping. |
| Continue | continue | same as input | Called after `Output` with the original input data and metadata. |

## Configuration

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `Address` | string | | IP address or host name to ping. |
| `Timeout` | integer (seconds) | `20` | How long to wait for the echo reply. `0` or less means 60 seconds. |

## Behaviour

- For every input record one ping is sent synchronously; the component blocks until the reply arrives or the timeout expires.
- `Output` receives a `PingReply` with:
  - `Address`: the address that replied (as text),
  - `RoundtripTime`: round-trip time in milliseconds,
  - `Status`: name of the .NET `IPStatus` value, e.g. `Success`, `TimedOut`, `DestinationHostUnreachable`.
- After `Output`, `Continue` is called with the original input.
- A timeout or unreachable host is not an error: check `Status` (for example with a filter on `Status == "Success"`).

## Notes

- `PingReply.IsTimeout` is never set (always `false`); use `Status` = `TimedOut` instead.
- A host name that cannot be resolved throws an exception instead of producing a `PingReply`.
- ICMP may be blocked by firewalls or require privileges on some Linux hosts; a failing ping does not prove that a TCP service is down.
- `Address` comes only from the configuration, not from the input record; to ping several hosts, use one component per host.

## Example

```json
{ "Address": "192.168.1.10", "Timeout": 5 }
```

Timer → **Ping** → Decision router (`Status` is not `Success`) → Mail client