This is something we can all do, as no special services are required. This will simplify the ping command for console users who may not know the details of the command. This will ping the server for just three counts rather than the normal infinite amount. There is no output if the server is alive, but a failed server reports sever dead. Create the following script as $HOME/bin/ping_server.sh:
#!/bin/bash
# Author: @theurbanpenguin
# Web: www.theurbapenguin.com
# Script to ping a server
# Last Edited: July 4 2015
read -p "Which server should be pinged " server_addr
ping -c3 $server_addr 2>1 > /dev/null || echo "Server Dead"
The following screenshot shows successful and failed outputs:
