# Ping probes with Nightingale Ping a list of targets from wherever Categraf runs and get packet loss, round-trip latency and jitter; the simplest liveness check there is. Last reviewed 2026-10-13 The ping input sends ICMP probes to the addresses in `targets` and reports packet loss, minimum, average, maximum and standard deviation RTT, and TTL. As long as the targets do not block ping, it is the cheapest liveness check; running one Categraf per site and pinging across sites also gives a picture of link quality. Split targets into several `[[instances]]` blocks with labels such as `region` or `product`; the dashboards and rules filter on them. With many targets, raise the file descriptor limit of the Categraf process. The rules cover unreachable targets and rising packet loss. ## What's in the template[​](#whats-in-the-template "Direct link to What's in the template") * **2 dashboards**, 6 panels in total * **1 alert rule**, each with runbook steps * **6 metric descriptions** * **Categraf collector config**: `input.ping` ## How to connect[​](#how-to-connect "Direct link to How to connect") 1. [Install Categraf](https://n9e.github.io/docs/data/categraf/install.md), put the config below in `conf/input.ping/ping.toml`, fill in your own address and credentials, and restart Categraf. The startup log prints `input: local.ping started` once the plugin is loaded. ``` # # collect interval # interval = 15 [[instances]] # send ping packets to targets = [ # "www.baidu.com", # "127.0.0.1", # "10.4.5.6", # "10.4.5.7" ] # # append some labels for series # labels = { region="cloud", product="n9e" } # # interval = global.interval * interval_times # interval_times = 1 ## Number of ping packets to send per interval. Corresponds to the "-c" ## option of the ping command. # count = 1 ## Time to wait between sending ping packets in seconds. Operates like the ## "-i" option of the ping command. # ping_interval = 1.0 ## If set, the time to wait for a ping response in seconds. Operates like ## the "-W" option of the ping command. # timeout = 3.0 ## Interface or source address to send ping from. Operates like the -I or -S ## option of the ping command. # interface = "" ## Use only IPv6 addresses when resolving a hostname. # ipv6 = false ## Number of data bytes to be sent. Corresponds to the "-s" ## option of the ping command. # size = 56 # max concurrency coroutine # concurrency = 50 ``` 2. Open the integration center in Nightingale, find Ping, and [import the dashboards and alert rules](https://n9e.github.io/docs/data/integrations/import.md) into a business group. 3. Imported rules start disabled. [Check that the metrics are arriving](https://n9e.github.io/docs/data/integrations/verify.md) first, then enable the rules one by one with thresholds that fit your environment. ## Bundled dashboards[​](#bundled-dashboards "Direct link to Bundled dashboards") | Dashboard | Panels | | -------------------------- | ------ | | PING detection by UlricQin | 1 | | PING Dashboard 2.0 | 5 | ## Bundled alert rules[​](#bundled-alert-rules "Direct link to Bundled alert rules") 1 rule. Each lists its trigger condition (PromQL) and the steps to take when it fires. Thresholds are meant to be adjusted after import. ### PING address detection failed[​](#ping-address-detection-failed "Direct link to PING address detection failed") S2 Warning · for 1 min · Trigger: ``` ping_result_code != 0 ``` Runbook: 1. Reproduce it on the collector host with ping -c 5 \, then use mtr -n \ to find which hop drops packets; 2. If the target is alive, check whether it blocks ICMP — many security policies do, in which case this probe does not apply and you should switch to a port probe; 3. For loss at an intermediate hop, involve the network team; 4. Confirm the target host is not down or suffering a NIC failure. ## Metric reference[​](#metric-reference "Direct link to Metric reference") 6 metrics, the ones the dashboards and rules above are built on. | Metric | Meaning | Unit | | -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | | `ping_ttl` | Ping ttl time — Time To Live refers to the limited time that a packet can "survive" in the network | s | | `ping_percent_packet_loss` | Ping packet loss rate | % | | `ping_average_response_ms` | Ping average time consumed | ms | | `ping_result_code` | Ping probe result status code — A value of 0 is normal, and a non-0 value is abnormal. If the Ping fails, there should be an exception log in the Categraf log | | | `ping_maximum_response_ms` | Ping maximum time consumption | ms | | `ping_minimum_response_ms` | Ping minimum time consumption | ms | ## Related[​](#related "Direct link to Related") * [Ping template source](https://github.com/ccfos/nightingale/tree/main/integrations/Ping): the raw JSON for dashboards, rules and collector config. Pull requests welcome. * [Categraf `ping` plugin docs](https://github.com/flashcatcloud/categraf/tree/main/inputs/ping): every config option and the full metric list. * [Walkthrough: port and connectivity probes](https://n9e.github.io/docs/practice/port.md) * [Import dashboards and alert rules](https://n9e.github.io/docs/data/integrations/import.md) * [Verify that metrics are stored](https://n9e.github.io/docs/data/integrations/verify.md) * [All integrations](https://n9e.github.io/integrations.md)