C# Check Remote Server

Question

Can anyone advise what the best way to check (using .NET 3.5) if a remote server is available?

I was thinking of using the following code but would like to know if

Answer 1

If you be using a previous version of .NET Framework, like me, the version 2, you'll have no Ping and no System.Net.NetworkInformation.NetworkInterface.GetIsNetworkAvailable(). Then, you can use HttpWebRequest to check a host disponibility:

  public static bool AccessToWebService()
  {
      string host = "http://192.168.99.41";
      try
      {
          HttpWebRequest request = (HttpWebRequest) WebRequest.Create(host);
          request.Method = "HEAD";
          HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse) request.GetResponse();
          return response.StatusCode == HttpStatusCode.OK;
      }
      catch (Exception)
      {
          return false;
      }
  }