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P4 CLI Reference | 2025.1

# p4 ping

Test network performance.

## Syntax

    p4 [g-opts] ping [-f] [-p pausetime] [-c count] [-t transmittime]
                     [-i iterations] [-s sendsize] [-r receivesize]

Syntax conventions

## Description

p4 ping simulates P4 Server network traffic by sending messages from the versioning service to the P4 Server application and back, and times the round trips. Round-trip times are reported in milliseconds. Because the round-trip time is typically too fast to measure for a single message, you can specify a message `count` per test.

## Options

`-c count` | Number of messages per test.
`-f` | Flood mode: the service transmits continuously, sending the next message without waiting for the P4 Server application to confirm receipt of the prior message.
`-i iterations` | Repeat the test for the specified number of `iterations`.
`-p pausetime` | Pause for `pausetime` seconds between tests, up to 120 seconds. To disable pausing, specify a pausetime of 0.
`-r receivesize` | Size of the user-to-service message, up to a maximum value of 100,000 bytes.
`-s sendsize` | Size of the service-to-user message, up to a maximum value of 10,000,000 bytes.
`-t transmittime` | Transmit data for `transmittime` (maximum 6,000) seconds.
`g-opts` | See Global options.

## Usage notes

Can File Arguments Use Revision Specifier? | Can File Arguments Use Revision Range? | Minimal Access Level Required
--- | --- | ---
N/A | N/A | `admin` available to an operator user

- Like the operating system’s counterpart, `p4 ping` can flood the network with traffic.

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