Pinging non-existent devices on subnet.

[johnnyDiamond08]

Hello,
I'm currently taking a networking course and was having some difficulty answering the following questions and could use a little clarification.

Question: When pinging a non-existent device on your subnet, why doesn't the source node issue a ICMP echo request.

My thoughts on this was because there was not a receiving node therefore any ICMP packets were not issued.

Question 2: when pinging another non-existent device but not on your subnet, why doesn't the source node issue a ICMP echo request.

I thought the same results would occur when pinging a non-existent device on my subnet.

 

[eibgrad]

The questions don't even make sense (at least to me). A ping *is* an ICMP request. Perhaps you meant to ask, why does/doesn't it "reply"?

 

[wacabletech]

I believe they mean the mac will not be in the arp table [they must mean the unix ping as winblows does not actually care] and not issue a ping since its on the same subnet, once you go outside that its all fair game but I could be wrong. I'd verify by googling that and see if you can find some real support for your homework before I turned it in that way. Or do they mean pinging them by name maybe and then there is no ip to map it to so the DNS resolve fails, not sure.