The ping command is used to test the connection between two network nodes by sending ICMP echo request packets and waiting for echo reply packets. This command helps determine if the target is reachable and the round-trip delay. In this instance, the command ping 192.168.1.50 sends these packets to the IP address of the server to check for connectivity. traceroute could also be used to verify this, but would take much longer as it is a tool that maps the path your data takes across the internet by sending probes to each network hop along the way. If the ping fails for an unknown reason, using traceroute would be a good second step.