Abstract: A method for monitoring of network performance is defined. The method includes the steps of defining and characterizing the population of interest (the set of hosts and networks in which there is interest); choosing a set of destinations that represent the population (pinglists) including categorization structure (viewlists); monitoring the destinations in the pinglists from one or more vantage points (beacons) and collecting information therefrom; compiling and summarizing the data in ways that address questions of interest about the population; and providing an appropriate interpretation of the analysis in terms of the questions of interest.