Testing for the Server's Machine Presence

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To check connections between the Server and Remote computers, the most basic test is a ping:

1. On the Remote computer, open a Command Prompt window.
2. Type ping, followed by a space, followed by the name of the Server computer. For example, if the Server is called OurServer, you'd type
   
   ping OurServer

Wait for results. If the connection can't be made, you'll get an error message or a time-out message (i.e. the ping command waited a significant length of time but never got an answer). If the connection can be made, you'll get a message saying that the Server computer replied and providing other statistics.

If ping fails, check the documentation on your network software to see what's gone wrong.

There are two types of pings: ping -4 and ping -6 (which test for IP4 and IP6, respectively). SQL Server generally uses IP4, so you usually want to use ping -4.

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