Ping a Specific Port

The ping command sends a small burst of data to another computer, allowing you to test its Internet or network connectivity. Sometimes a user may need to test a specific network port on that computer, but since the ping command sends data on a different layer than where network ports operate, it won't be able to test specified port numbers. Thankfully, there is another method using telnet that mimics the ping command and allows you to test ports on computers on the Internet or on your remote network.



Instructions

1 Install the telnet client. To do so, click your "Start" button, browse to "Control Panel," and then launch "Programs and Features." Click "Turn Windows features on or off" and check the "Telnet Client" box in the dialog window that appears. Click "OK."

2 Launch Telnet by clicking your "Start" button, browsing to "All Programs," clicking "Accessories," and then launching the "Telnet" program. You can also type "Telnet" in the search box and click the program icon as it appears.

3 Connect to the computer you want to test and then specify the port number that you want to test. To do so, type in "telnet [host] [port]" without the quotation marks, where [host] is the hostname or IP address of the computer to be tested and [port] is the port.

4 Wait for the results. If Telnet connects to the computer, then that port is active and is receiving and transmitting data.