diff --git a/app/models/git_repository.rb b/app/models/git_repository.rb
index de3a494a771..f19b91c19bc 100644
--- a/app/models/git_repository.rb
+++ b/app/models/git_repository.rb
@@ -25,6 +25,29 @@ def self.delete_repo_dir(id, directory_name)
     FileUtils.rm_rf(directory_name)
   end
 
+  # Ping the git repository endpoint to verify that the network connection is still up.
+  # We use this approach for now over Rugged#check_connection because of a segfault:
+  #
+  #   https://github.com/libgit2/rugged/issues/859
+  #
+  def check_connection?
+    require 'net/ping/external'
+
+    # URI library cannot handle git urls, so just convert it to a standard url.
+    temp_url = url.dup.to_s
+    temp_url = temp_url.sub(':', '/').sub('git@', 'https://') if temp_url.start_with?('git@')
+
+    host = URI.parse(temp_url).hostname
+
+    $log.debug("pinging '#{host}' to verify network connection")
+    ext_ping = Net::Ping::External.new(host)
+
+    result = ext_ping.ping?
+    $log.debug("ping failed: #{ext_ping.exception}") unless result
+
+    result
+  end
+
   def refresh
     update_repo
     transaction do
diff --git a/app/models/service_ansible_playbook.rb b/app/models/service_ansible_playbook.rb
index 9bdc8a6206b..60f7264e396 100644
--- a/app/models/service_ansible_playbook.rb
+++ b/app/models/service_ansible_playbook.rb
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ class ServiceAnsiblePlaybook < ServiceGeneric
   include AnsibleExtraVarsMixin
   include AnsiblePlaybookMixin
 
-  delegate :playbook, :to => :service_template, :allow_nil => true
+  delegate :playbook, :repository, :to => :service_template, :allow_nil => true
 
   # A chance for taking options from automate script to override options from a service dialog
   def preprocess(action, add_options = {})
@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ def execute(action)
     launch_ansible_job_queue(action)
   end
 
+  def check_connection(action)
+    repository(action).check_connection?
+  end
+
   def launch_ansible_job_queue(action)
     task_opts = {
       :action => "Launching Ansible Job",
diff --git a/app/models/service_template_ansible_playbook.rb b/app/models/service_template_ansible_playbook.rb
index d09825ebc5e..919f97a35ba 100644
--- a/app/models/service_template_ansible_playbook.rb
+++ b/app/models/service_template_ansible_playbook.rb
@@ -76,6 +76,10 @@ def playbook(action)
     ManageIQ::Providers::EmbeddedAnsible::AutomationManager::Playbook.find(config_info[action.downcase.to_sym][:playbook_id])
   end
 
+  def repository(action)
+    GitRepository.find(config_info[action.downcase.to_sym][:repository_id])
+  end
+
   def update_catalog_item(options, auth_user = nil)
     config_info = validate_update_config_info(options)
     unless config_info
diff --git a/spec/models/git_repository_spec.rb b/spec/models/git_repository_spec.rb
index 961c09ae73a..0b7538f17f7 100644
--- a/spec/models/git_repository_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/git_repository_spec.rb
@@ -345,5 +345,49 @@
         end
       end
     end
+
+    context "check_connection?" do
+      require 'net/ping/external'
+      let(:ext_ping) { instance_double(Net::Ping::External) }
+
+      before do
+        allow(Net::Ping::External).to receive(:new).and_return(ext_ping)
+        allow(ext_ping).to receive(:exception)
+      end
+
+      it "returns true if it can ping the repo" do
+        allow(ext_ping).to receive(:ping?).and_return(true)
+        expect($log).to receive(:debug).with(/pinging '.*' to verify network connection/)
+        expect(repo.check_connection?).to eq(true)
+      end
+
+      it "returns false if it cannot ping the repo" do
+        allow(ext_ping).to receive(:ping?).and_return(false)
+        expect($log).to receive(:debug).with(/pinging '.*' to verify network connection/)
+        expect($log).to receive(:debug).with(/ping failed: .*/)
+        expect(repo.check_connection?).to eq(false)
+      end
+
+      it "handles git urls without issue" do
+        allow(repo).to receive(:url).and_return("git@example.com:ManageIQ/manageiq.git")
+        allow(ext_ping).to receive(:ping?).and_return(true)
+        expect($log).to receive(:debug).with(/pinging 'example.com' to verify network connection/)
+        expect(repo.check_connection?).to eq(true)
+      end
+
+      it "handles ssh urls without issue" do
+        allow(repo).to receive(:url).and_return("ssh://user@example.com:443/manageiq.git")
+        allow(ext_ping).to receive(:ping?).and_return(true)
+        expect($log).to receive(:debug).with(/pinging 'example.com' to verify network connection/)
+        expect(repo.check_connection?).to eq(true)
+      end
+
+      it "handles file urls without issue" do
+        allow(repo).to receive(:url).and_return("file://example.com/server/manageiq.git")
+        allow(ext_ping).to receive(:ping?).and_return(true)
+        expect($log).to receive(:debug).with(/pinging 'example.com' to verify network connection/)
+        expect(repo.check_connection?).to eq(true)
+      end
+    end
   end
 end