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Ping check

Ping is the simplest check to test that an endpoint is available. Target servers must be reachable from the probe’s network and be configured to reply to ICMP echo requests. The time for the endpoint to respond is used to measure latency from each probe location.

Options

The list of common options to all check types:

OptionDescription
EnabledWhether the check is enabled or not.
Job nameRefer to the check name. Check metrics include a job label with the value of this option.
TargetTarget of the check request. Check metrics include an instance label with the value of this option.
Probe locationsThe locations where the check should run from. Check metrics include a probe label with the value of the probe location running the check.
FrequencyThe frequency the check should run in seconds. The value can range from 60 to 3600 seconds. Only the sm_check_info metric includes the frequency label.
TimeoutMaximum execution time for the check. The value can range from 1 to 60 seconds.
Custom labels(Optional) Custom labels applied to check metrics. Refer to Custom labels for querying instructions.

Additionally, Ping checks have the following options:

OptionDescription
IP versionThe internet protocol version to use (V4, V6 or any).
Don’t fragmentSet the DF-bit in the IP header. Only works with IPv4.
Publish full set of metricsWhether to publish additional metrics to create histograms (used for Apdex scores or heatmaps). Default is false to reduce the number of active series.

These last options don’t produce any additional labels in the resulting check metrics.

Metrics

Checks store their results as Prometheus metrics, including the list of common metrics:

MetricDescription
probe_all_duration_secondsReturns how long the probe took to complete in seconds (histogram).
probe_duration_secondsReturns how long the probe took to complete in seconds.
probe_all_successDisplays whether or not the probe was a success (summary).
probe_successDisplays whether or not the probe was a success.
sm_check_infoProvides information about a single check configuration.

Additionally, Ping checks produce the following metrics:

MetricDescription
probe_dns_lookup_time_secondsReturns the time taken for probe DNS lookup in seconds.
probe_icmp_duration_rtt_max_secondsMaximum duration of round trip time phase.
probe_icmp_duration_rtt_min_secondsMinimum duration of round trip time phase.
probe_icmp_duration_rtt_stddev_secondsStandard deviation of round trip time phase.
probe_icmp_duration_secondsDuration of ICMP request by phase.
probe_icmp_packets_received_countNumber of ICMP packets received.
probe_icmp_packets_sent_countNumber of ICMP packets sent.
probe_icmp_reply_hop_limitReplied packet hop limit (TTL for IPv4).
probe_ip_addr_hashSpecifies the hash of the IP address. It’s useful to detect if the IP address changes.
probe_ip_protocolSpecifies whether the probe IP protocol is IP4 or IP6.