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ping option "-t" - what's the "t" stands for?

r.heitmann
Level 1
Level 1

...after more than 20 years the really important questions come to my mind

usually those "command arguments" are abbreviations, aren't they?

"-i" => "interface"
"-n" => "name resolution"
...

"-t Ping the specified host until stopped."


...is "t" the abbreviation for "until stopped"?

8 Replies 8

-t is ping until you press ctrl+C to stopped it 
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/ping

and also this letter is change from OS to other 
MHM

Hint:

  • if you think, you need to explain the "ping"-tool to a 20year double CCIE...

...you might have missed the point of the original question

 

The Question is just (I'm no native speaker, I should overthink the wording of my question) about

- which (I assume english) word stands "t" for?

...I don't want to believe, that the MS-programmer decided by random...

 

So - no technical question, more about "learning english"

I don't think it stands specifically for one word. Windows describes it as this:

matthew2587_0-1705347201672.png

 

Ramblin Tech
Spotlight
Spotlight

Because of NIH Syndrome at Microsoft? *nix was already using "-t" to set the TTL of ping packets and *nix ping continued until ^C. Why did MS feel compelled to change that behavior? Maybe for the same reason that they felt compelled to implement "ipconfig" instead of *nix's "ifconfig".

Disclaimer: I am long in CSCO

Joseph W. Doherty
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame

@r.heitmann wrote:

"-t Ping the specified host until stopped."

...is "t" the abbreviation for "until stopped"?


Possibly - maybe "until terminated".

Hello,

very good question. Out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT, but even they (or it or whatever it is) do not have an answer. My guess is that it is an abbreviation of the word 'tenacious' (which basically is a synonym for 'persistent'). 

That said, what is your native language ?

I asked ChatGPT, too - but the answer was so stupid(unfortunately no screenshot...) I thought to keep with real people

"Tenacious" interesting choice.

Although I too am guessing over terminate, it's a term that goes decades back for forcing a running program or process to stop before it does so on it own.