LFCS Networking Practice Question
An administrator is troubleshooting intermittent connectivity issues. Running 'ping -c 100 -i 0.2 10.0.0.1' shows about 5% packet loss. What is the primary purpose of the '-i 0.2' option?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse '-i' with timeout or TTL options, mistakenly thinking it controls how long to wait for a reply rather than the spacing between packet transmissions.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
It sets the interval between pings to 0.2 seconds
The '-i 0.2' option in the ping command sets the interval between sending ICMP Echo Request packets to 0.2 seconds. This allows the administrator to send pings more frequently than the default (typically 1 second), which helps in detecting intermittent connectivity issues over a shorter test duration. By sending 100 packets at a 0.2-second interval, the test completes in about 20 seconds, making it practical for troubleshooting transient packet loss.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
It sets the TTL to 0.2
Why it's wrong here
TTL is an integer, not a fraction; set with -t.
- ✗
It sets the timeout to 0.2 seconds
Why it's wrong here
Timeout is set with -W.
- ✗
It sets the packet size to 0.2 bytes
Why it's wrong here
Packet size is set with -s.
- ✓
It sets the interval between pings to 0.2 seconds
Why this is correct
This speeds up the test to detect intermittent loss.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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