Which utility would you use to verify the network connectivity of a remote host?

Using the Ping utility is an effective way to verify the network connectivity of a remote host. It works by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo request packets to the target address and waits for a response in the form of echo reply packets. This process helps determine whether the remote host is reachable over the network and provides information about the round-trip time for each packet sent.

When using Ping, you can quickly conclude if the host is online or if there are issues preventing the connection. A successful reply indicates that the path to the host is functioning properly, whereas no response or a timeout typically suggests that there might be a network issue, firewall blocking, or that the host is turned off.

Other utilities like Netcat are more versatile for establishing connections and transferring data, but they are not primarily designed to check connectivity. SSH is primarily used for secure remote access to devices, while Traceroute helps identify the path taken by packets to their destination but does not simply verify connectivity — instead, it shows the route taken, which can be more complex than just checking if a host is online.