Ping vs. Ping6: Understanding IPv4 and IPv6 Connectivity

This article compares ping and ping6, highlighting their differences and providing syntax examples.

Introduction:

The Ping protocol is part of the ICMP family of protocols. It’s used to check the connectivity between two IP-based machines. By using ping or ping6, you can initiate a command from a source PC to determine if a destination PC is reachable. As you know, there are two main types of IP addresses assigned to devices connected to the internet: IPv4 and IPv6.

Ping Request and Ping Response

The main difference between ping and ping6 is that ping is associated with IPv4, whereas ping6 is associated with IPv6.

Ping Command (IPv4)

The following table outlines the syntax and usage of the ping command, which is used with IPv4 addresses.

When a ping command is issued from a source PC, it sends a series of bytes along with a header to the destination PC. The destination PC replies with a “ping response,” copying all the data received in the ping request into the payload of the response. The source PC then compares the received data with the transmitted data to calculate packet loss as a percentage.

Ping6 Command (IPv6)

Table 2 provides the syntax and usage descriptions for the ping6 command.

We can also use ping6 to check if a host or server supports IPv6. Another similar command is traceroute6, used to check reachability and the route taken.