Technical Tip: Advanced Ping Options on FortiExtender: Source IP and Interface Usage Guide

[gvenkatesan]

Description	This article describes how to use the 'ping' command on FortiExtender devices with advanced options, including how to specify a source IP address or interface. It outlines available parameters and practical examples to help with network troubleshooting and connectivity testing.
Scope	FortiExtender, v7.4. x and v7.6.x.
Solution	To get all the available ping options, execute the help command as shown below: FEX# execute ping -h ping: invalid option -- 'h' BusyBox v1.36.1 (2024-06-08 00:28:07 UTC) multi-call binary. Usage: ping [OPTIONS] HOST Send ICMP ECHO_REQUESTs to HOST -4,-6 Force IP or IPv6 name resolution -c CNT Send only CNT pings -s SIZE Send SIZE data bytes in packets (default 56) -i SECS Interval -A Ping as soon as reply is received -t TTL Set TTL -I IFACE/IP Source interface or IP address -W SEC Seconds to wait for the first response (default 10) (after all -c CNT packets are sent) -w SEC Seconds until ping exits (default:infinite) (can exit earlier with -c CNT) -q Quiet, only display output at start/finish -p HEXBYTE Payload pattern Example 1: Pinging a Destination from a Specific Source IP: FEX# execute ping 10.1.1.10 -I 10.10.257.10 PING 10.1.1.10 (10.1.1.10) from 10.10.257.10: 56 data bytes 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=0 ttl=255 time=1.922 ms 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=1 ttl=255 time=1.287 ms 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=2 ttl=255 time=1.038 ms ^C --- 10.1.1.10 ping statistics --- 3 packets transmitted, 3 packets received, 0% packet loss Example 2: Using a Timeout with -w Option: FEX# execute ping 10.1.1.10 -I 10.10.257.10 -w 10 PING 10.1.1.10 (10.1.1.10) from 10.10.257.10: 56 data bytes 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=0 ttl=255 time=1.745 ms 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=1 ttl=255 time=1.353 ms 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=2 ttl=255 time=1.377 ms 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=3 ttl=255 time=1.312 ms 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=4 ttl=255 time=1.056 ms 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=5 ttl=255 time=1.038 ms 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=6 ttl=255 time=1.215 ms 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=7 ttl=255 time=1.140 ms 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=8 ttl=255 time=1.342 ms 64 bytes from 10.1.1.10: seq=9 ttl=255 time=1.261 ms --- 10.1.1.10 ping statistics --- 10 packets transmitted, 10 packets received, 0% packet loss round-trip min/avg/max = 1.038/1.283/1.745 ms Note: Multiple Options can be clubbed together as per the requirement.