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Traceroute

A diagnostic tool used to track the path a packet takes across an IP network and measure the transit delays of each hop.

Categorynetwork

Overview

Traceroute identifies every router (hop) between a source and a destination. It works by sending a series of packets with increasing TTL values.

How it Works

  1. Send a packet with TTL=1. The first router drops it and sends an ICMP 'Time Exceeded' message. Traceroute records the router's IP.
  2. Send a packet with TTL=2. The second router drops it and sends the ICMP message.
  3. Repeat until the destination is reached or a maximum hop limit is hit.

Related Terms

TTLPing