๐ถ Ping (ICMP) Monitor
The Ping monitor sends ICMP echo requests ("pings") to a host and measures whether it's reachable and how quickly it responds.
๐ฏ What It Doesโ
- Sends ICMP echo requests to a hostname or IP address
- Measures average latency (round-trip time)
- Detects packet loss
- Works on both Linux and Windows servers
โ๏ธ Configurationโ
| Setting | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | A friendly name | Production Server |
| Host / IP Address | Hostname or IP to ping | 192.168.1.100 or server.example.com |
| Check Interval | How often to ping | 1 minute |
| Timeout | Max time to wait for response | 10 seconds |
๐ Usage Examplesโ
Example 1: Monitor a Serverโ
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Web Server 1 |
| Address | 10.0.0.5 |
| Interval | 30 seconds |
Example 2: Monitor an External Hostโ
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | CDN Edge Node |
| Address | cdn.example.com |
| Interval | 1 minute |
๐ What Gets Recordedโ
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Status | Up or Down |
| Response Time | Average round-trip time in ms |
| Packet Loss | Percentage of lost packets |
| Error Message | Details if unreachable |
โ ๏ธ Important Notesโ
warning
Some hosting providers block ICMP! If ping monitors always show "down" but you can access the host via HTTP, your hosting provider likely blocks outbound ICMP. Use a TCP monitor instead.
info
Ping on Linux requires privileges. Make sure the PHP process has permission to run ping. On most systems this works out of the box, but some hardened setups may need:
sudo setcap cap_net_raw+ep $(which ping)
๐ก Tipsโ
- Ping only checks network reachability, not whether your application is working. Use HTTP monitors for application health.
- High ping latency might indicate network congestion or geographical distance.
- Combine Ping with HTTP monitors for a complete picture: Ping tells you if the server is reachable, HTTP tells you if the application is working.