Ping / traceroute

The "ping / traceroute" tool consists of two closely related tools:

• The ping tool, will ping a specific host a number of times - measuering the response times, jitter and packetloss. This helps diagnose connectivity and latency issues in relation to a specific host.
  
  
• The traceroute tool on the other hand, is designed to perform detailed traceroute analysis, offering insights into the network path that data packets take to reach their destination. By visualizing each hop along the route and measuring the time taken for packets to travel, this tool helps users diagnose network issues in general, and understand connectivity and latency. This is done by pinging each individual host on the route to the traceroite target.
  
  The traceroute tool will also add ASN and geographical info on each hop/host on the entire network path - helping to highlight the path and any issues along the way. The info is gathered from the ASN database and the GeoIP tool.
  
  

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Samples

Ping of 'dns.google' Traceroute of 'dns.google' Ping of 'facebook.com' Traceroute of 'facebook.com' Traceroute of 'microsoft.com'

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FAQ

• What is Ping / ICMP?
• What is traceroute / tracert?
• Interpreting traceroute results
• How traceroute works
• Ping/traceroute and ASN Looking Glass Pages

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What is Ping / ICMP?

Ping is a basic network diagnostic tool that uses the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) to test the reachability of a destination.

It works by sending small data packets to the target and waiting for a reply. If all packets are returned, it confirms the destination is reachable.

However, some routers or firewalls may deny ping responses for security reasons, so a lack of response doesn’t always mean the target is unreachable.

Ping results can reveal high response times or lost packets, signaling potential issues like network congestion. Interpreting these results helps assess network health and performance.

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What is traceroute / tracert?

Traceroute is similar to ping but shows the entire path data takes to reach a destination. Instead of just testing if a destination is reachable, traceroute maps each step along the way, showing every router (hop) the data passes through.

For each hop, it shows the router’s IP address and how long it took for data to reach that point. This helps you see where delays or issues may be happening in the network. Sometimes, routers may block traceroute responses (as with pings), but that doesn’t always mean there’s a problem with the connection.

Traceroute is great for spotting where slowdowns occur.

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Interpreting traceroute results

The traceroute tool provides a detailed view of the network path to your destination. Here’s how to interpret the results:

• Path Information: The tool displays each hop along the route to the destination. For each hop, you’ll see the IP address, Autonomous System Number (ASN), and geographical information (geo-info). This data helps you understand the route your packets are taking and the locations of the intermediate network devices.
  
  
• Timing Data: For each hop, the tool pings the address five times and shows the time it takes for each response to return. This timing information helps you gauge the performance and responsiveness of each network segment.
  
  
• Average Response Time: The average response time for each hop is calculated from the five pings. This average gives a clearer picture of the typical latency you experience at each point in the route.
  
  
• Jitter: The tool measures jitter, which indicates the variability in response times. High jitter can suggest instability or congestion in the network.
  
  
• Packet Loss: The percentage of lost packets is also reported. Packet loss can indicate network issues or congestion that might be affecting the overall performance.
  
  

By analyzing these details, you can identify performance bottlenecks, detect issues with specific network segments, and gain insights into the overall quality of your network connection.

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How traceroute works

The traceroute tool maps the path data takes to reach its final destination by using a method called TTL (Time-to-Live). Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

• Starting the Journey: The tool sends out a packet with a TTL value of 1. This value tells the packet how many hops (or network devices) it can pass through before it should be discarded.
  
  
• First Hop: When the packet reaches the first router or device, the router reduces the TTL by 1. Since the TTL reaches 0, the router discards the packet and sends a message back to the tool, including the router’s address and the time it took to reach there.
  
  
• Increasing TTL: The tool then sends another packet, but this time with a TTL value of 2. This packet can travel through two devices before being discarded.
  
  
• Next Hops: Each router along the path does the same: it reduces the TTL and sends a message back to the tool. This process continues with increasing TTL values until the packet finally reaches the destination.
  
  
• Mapping the Path: By sending packets with progressively higher TTL values, the tool builds a complete map of the path data takes, showing each hop and the time it took to reach each one.
  
  

This method allows you to see every step your data takes across the network and identify where any delays or issues might occur.

Once the network path has been mapped, each hop along the way, is pinged five times, to measure the individual response times.

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Ping/traceroute and ASN Looking Glass Pages

A "Looking Glass" page is a web-based interface provided by Internet service providers (ISPs) or network operators. It allows users to view network routing information and perform diagnostic tests from the perspective of different Autonomous Systems (ASNs). These pages provide valuable insights into how data is routed across the internet and can help in troubleshooting network issues.

Using Looking Glass Pages with Traceroute:

• Comparing Routes: By using a Looking Glass page, you can compare the traceroute results from your tool with routing data seen from different network perspectives. This helps in understanding whether the routing path you observe is typical or if there are discrepancies in how different networks handle your traffic.
  
  
• Diagnosing Routing Issues: If your traceroute results show unexpected or problematic routes, you can use Looking Glass pages to see how the route appears from various ASNs. This can help identify if the issue is within your network or with an external provider.
  
  

Combining traceroute results with Looking Glass data gives you a broader view of network performance and routing behaviors, aiding in more effective network diagnostics and troubleshooting.

The ASN database of iamroot.tech, offers a comprehensive list of availible Looking Glass pages.

This tool has a fully-featured API available. You may read more about the API here. It is also an option to simply try out the tool - the corresponding API URL for each lookup is made available as a part of the result.