In network troubleshooting on Windows systems, when would you use the ping command with the "-t" switch?

Introduction / Context:
The ping command is one of the most widely used tools for basic network troubleshooting. On Windows operating systems, it includes a variety of switches that control how packets are sent. The -t switch is commonly used when administrators want to observe connectivity over a period of time rather than just with a short series of packets. Understanding this switch is useful in interviews and real-world troubleshooting scenarios.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The environment is a Windows command prompt or PowerShell session.
• The command syntax is ping -t hostname or ping -t IP_address.
• The question asks about the scenario in which the -t switch is appropriate.
• We assume basic knowledge of how ping works with ICMP echo requests and replies.

Concept / Approach:
On Windows, running ping without switches sends a small, fixed number of echo requests (typically four) and then stops. Adding the -t switch changes this behaviour so that ping continues to send echo requests indefinitely until the user interrupts the command, usually by pressing Ctrl + C. This continuous ping is useful for monitoring intermittent connectivity problems, observing packet loss, or watching a host come up or go down during maintenance.

Step-by-Step Solution:
1. Recall the default behaviour of ping: it sends a limited number of ICMP echo requests and then exits.2. Adding the -t switch instructs ping to keep sending echo requests without a preset limit.3. Option A states that -t is used when you want to send echo requests continuously until you manually stop the command, which exactly describes the purpose of -t in Windows.4. Option B claims that -t sends exactly ten pings, which is incorrect; that behaviour would be configured with a different switch such as -n.5. Option C describes DNS lookup with no ICMP packets, which is a different operation performed by tools like nslookup or dig, not by ping -t.6. Option D describes tracing the route hop by hop, which is the function of tracert on Windows, not ping -t.7. Therefore, Option A is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
If you run ping -t 8.8.8.8 on a Windows system, you will see that the command continues to send and display echo requests and replies until you press Ctrl + C. The summary shown after you stop the command includes statistics such as packets sent, received, and lost over the entire monitoring period. This experiment confirms that -t enables continuous pinging for ongoing monitoring.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B is wrong because the number of pings is not fixed by -t; instead, -t removes the limit.Option C is wrong because DNS queries do not involve ICMP echo requests and are not controlled by the ping -t switch.Option D is wrong because route tracing uses TTL manipulation and different commands such as tracert or traceroute, not ping -t.

Common Pitfalls:
One pitfall is forgetting to stop a continuous ping, which can clutter the screen or generate unnecessary traffic if left running. Another issue is misinterpreting brief packet loss during a continuous ping without correlating it with other events such as network reconfiguration or power saving modes. Nevertheless, ping -t remains a simple and powerful way to observe connectivity over time.

Final Answer:
When you want to send ICMP echo requests continuously until you manually stop the command, in order to monitor connectivity over time.