Request timeout for icmp_seq

user3541125 picture user3541125 · Feb 25, 2015 · Viewed 65.6k times · Source

When I try to use the sudo ping -f (URL) command on the mac terminal, I receive the message:

Request timeout for icmp_seq as a reply.

How can I fix this?

Answer

Pyrophorus picture Pyrophorus · Feb 25, 2015

The reply means the target host is unreachable which is not an error and can happen using a plain 'ping' as well. Now, using the -f(lood) option, some firewalls or hosts can believe it's a DoS attack and drop the icmp packets silently.

Do you really need this -f option ? It can overflow the network and should be avoided as much as possible.