Cannot ping a computer but can ssh, ftp, http, etc. to it

Question

I have a small computer that I mainly use as a file server, web server, and just general purpose server computer. It is running Ubuntu Server 14.04.1 LTS. This computer is at my parents' home while I'm in college and I ssh into it frequently and will sometimes compile and run programs on it to show friends or work on projects. I recently tried pinging it but I kept getting the response "Request timed out." I've able to ping it successfully before. All of it's services like ftp, ssh, http, networking java projects, and even a minecraft server that I run occasionally, still work. I simply cannot ping it. When I try to do traceroute at around the 20th hop I see again "Request timed out."

Any information or advice would be helpful. Thank you.

Solution

Ping uses the ICMP protocol. Somewhere along the way, these packets are being blocked, which is why you don't get a response. You can use wireshark filtered to ICMP packets on both ends to get a clearer answer.

As your other services use different protocols using the IP protocol as their internet layer protocol, you can communicate using these without any issues.

Comments

[Crippledsmurf]

It may be that either ping requests are not leaving your box, or that responses are not being returned. This may be because the firewall on either of the computers is set to drop ping, or possibly because a computer between you and your server (such as your parents home router, or your campus network) drops the ping packets at some point.

[rey1029384756]

Is there any way to fix it, I've asked a couple friends in different parts of the country to try pinging it to no avail. Would a particular port be blocked that I can open. I haven't had this problem before with my parents' network setup. Now that I think of it the only thing that's changed recently is they now use Vonage phone service which is like a VOIP. Could that cause an issue.

[SBI]

My best guess is that they received a new router supporting the new VOIP setup?