This network troubleshooting tip of using a trace route is something every IT person should know, regardless of whether they work in networking or not. All IT staff should have the basic skill of diagnosing and escalating issues.

The Point of Using a Trace Route?

This command displays a detailed path that a packet of test data takes until it reaches its destination.

What Can I Do With The Data?

The goal is to use the data to identify slow spots. You can use this data to work with your ISP to solve internet connection issues.

What Exactly Do You Look For?

Look for the following problems in the report:

  • Connection time outs
  • * symbols
  • High ping (number in ms)

Running on Windows

  1. Open a CMD prompt as Administrator
  2. Type tracert IP Address
  3. or type tracert IP Address > %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\tracert.txt and press Enter to have the trace route information in a text file on your desktop

Running on Mac OS X

  1. Open the Terminal application (/Applications/Utilities)
  2. Type traceroute IP Address
  3. or type traceroute IP Address > ~/Desktop/traceroute.txt and press Return to have the trace route information in a text file on your desktop

What other command line tools do you use regularly? Let me know in the comments below.

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