Trace Route

"...I did a trace route from the Windows command line of my home computer... "

This - I am sure is a real rookie question - However in the world of command line entries and also the world of "code" -- I am a rookie.

How is the above done? Is it only possible to do when you...? I have no clue but would love to learn about this.

Your assistance - as always - is greatly appreciated.

 

Code:

Usage: tracert [-d] [-h maximum_hops] [-j host-list] [-w timeout] target_name

Options:
    -d                 Do not resolve addresses to hostnames.
    -h maximum_hops    Maximum number of hops to search for target.
    -j host-list       Loose source route along host-list.
    -w timeout         Wait timeout milliseconds for each reply.

Code:

C:\>tracert www.google.com

Tracing route to www.l.google.com [216.239.51.104]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     2 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.1.1
  2     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  3  1831 ms  1995 ms  2044 ms  dpc6682157194.direcpc.com [66.82.157.194]
  4  2194 ms     *     1553 ms  dpc6682156131.direcpc.com [66.82.156.131]
  5  1786 ms  1536 ms  1962 ms  gmtc-cr-ti-01-gi6-5.direcpc.com [66.82.16.53]
  6  1955 ms  1667 ms  1024 ms  dpc6682016065.direcpc.com [66.82.16.65]
  7  1967 ms  1020 ms   991 ms  dca-edge-13.inet.qwest.net [65.113.48.89]
  8  2078 ms   983 ms  1071 ms  dca-core-01.inet.qwest.net [205.171.209.73]
  9   961 ms  1764 ms  2770 ms  dcx-core-02.inet.qwest.net [67.14.1.254]
 10  1567 ms  2488 ms  1026 ms  dcx-edge-02.inet.qwest.net [205.171.251.22]
 11  1085 ms   895 ms  1968 ms  72.165.86.2
 12  1954 ms  1972 ms  2353 ms  209.85.130.18
 13  2265 ms  2167 ms   987 ms  72.14.238.97
 14  1879 ms  2067 ms   987 ms  72.14.238.153
 15  2925 ms  2898 ms  2231 ms  64.233.175.14
 16  3501 ms  2683 ms  1992 ms  kc-in-f104.google.com [216.239.51.104]

Trace complete.

 

Hi, JETS.

In addition to clearmem's info about the syntax for using tracert and the example shown, here is how to get to the command prompt:

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt

Once you're at the command prompt, you can type
[FONT= "Courier New"][SIZE= "3"]tracert www.google.com[/SIZE][/FONT] and then hit your "Enter" key
to run the trace route facility for the same destination as clearmem's example. Your hops, especially the first few hops, will probably be different than clearmem's example.

 

Good suggestion, Pete.

BTW, one does not need to be at the root directory (C:\) to run tracert. When the Command Prompt window first opens, you will probably be at the
C:\Documents and Settings\login_name\ directory location. Tracert should run from there as well. (There is no need to type [FONT= "Courier New"][SIZE= "2"]cd\[/SIZE][/FONT] to get to the root directory.) Tracert runs from the C:\Documents and Settings\login_name> command prompt for me anyway.

I expect tracert.exe is located in the C:\Windows\System32\ directory on most installations of Windows XP. When you run an executable program such as tracert from the command prompt, I think your computer automatically searches the current directory, then the C:\ directory, then the C:\Windows\ directory, and finally the C:\Windows\System32 directory until it finds an executable that matches your command.


In the MS-DOS and early Windows days, one could edit (with a text editor) the autoexec.bat file located in the C:\ directory to specify other directories (via a Path=... statement) for automatically searching when an executable filename is typed at the command prompt. However, I haven't experimented with this in Windows XP yet.

 

You may like to look at this thread from the networking forum:

http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=52689&highlight=tracert+packet

It involves quite a discussion on tracert and its uses.