How to Use Traceroute

Last updated June, 2019

 

Traceroute is an application that traces the path data takes from one computer to another. Basically, a traceroute is a map that shows what stops or locations that data must pass through in order to go from one computer to another.

Important: To be an effective troubleshooting tool, the traceroute needs to be run from a computer experiencing the problem while the problem is occurring.

 

To Run a Traceroute in Windows

The command application (cmd.exe) is used to run a traceroute on Windows. Launching it is slightly different depending on your version of Windows:

  •  In Windows 7:
    • click on the Start menu
    • type “cmd” and press Enter to get a command prompt.
  • In Windows 8:
    • move your mouse to the bottom-left corner of the screen to bring up the Start icon.
    • Right-click on Start and select Run.
    • Then type “command” and press Enter to launch the application.
    • Alternatively, you can type “command” into the Search field in the Charms menu after moving your mouse to the lower right corner of your desktop.
  • In Windows 10, type “command” into the search menu and press Enter for a command prompt.

To run the traceroute, type:

tracert domainname.com

into the command prompt, where “domainname.com” is the name of the server to which you are having difficulty connecting.

The traceroute may take only a few seconds or a few minutes. Typically, the closer you are to the server, geographically, the more quickly the traceroute will complete.

 

To Run a Traceroute in Mac OS X

If you have a Mac, you can use the built-in network tools to run a traceroute.

  • Launch Spotlight (with ⌘+ SPACE or by clicking on the magnifying glass in your menu) to search for and launch Network Utility.
  • Select the Traceroute tab and enter the hostname or domain name.

 

You also can perform a traceroute from the Terminal app. Simply enter:

traceroute domainname.com

 

To Run a Traceroute in Linux

At the command line, type:

traceroute domainname.com
  • dns, network
  • 0 Korisnici koji smatraju članak korisnim
Je li Vam ovaj odgovor pomogao?

Vezani članci

Edit Your DNS Hosts File

One of the most powerful tools available to anyone working on their site during a migration is...

Flush Your Local DNS Cache

If your computer has trouble reaching a certain web site or server this may be due to a corrupt...

Clear Your Browser Cache

Your browser has a local file store that contains the images, CSS, JavaScript and other files of...