What is the purpose of enabling ICMP, despite best practices recommending it be disabled?

Enabling ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) serves a specific purpose, particularly in the context of network management and troubleshooting. By allowing ICMP traffic, network administrators have the ability to send echo requests to check connectivity between devices, which can be crucial for diagnosing issues within a network. This protocol can help in determining whether a device is reachable and can provide insights into any connectivity problems that may arise.

ICMP can also furnish administrators with timely feedback on the status of networked devices, facilitating tasks such as identifying latency issues, unreachable hosts, or network congestion. While there are other best practices recommending ICMP should be disabled due to potential security vulnerabilities, the ability to use it effectively for troubleshooting is a valuable trade-off that many network managers consider when managing devices and ensuring optimal performance.