How to use traceroute to identify network problems in Unix or Windows

Traceroute work for both Windows and Unix, we'll see one by one example.
When we connect to a website – e.g, tutorialbyexample.com or any IP address – the traffic has to go through several intermediaries before reaching the website. The traffic goes through our local router, our Internet service provider’s routers, onto larger networks, and so on. Traceroute shows us the traffic path takes to reach the website.



Windows: tracert IP Address or URL. e.g: tutorialbyexample.com
Click on the Windows Start > Then type the cmd and enter
Command windows will appear, Type tracert and enter
C:\Users\tutorialbyexample>tracert

Usage: tracert [-d] [-h maximum_hops] [-j host-list] [-w timeout]
               [-R] [-S srcaddr] [-4] [-6] 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 (IPv4-only).
    -w timeout         Wait timeout milliseconds for each reply.
    -R                 Trace round-trip path (IPv6-only).
    -S srcaddr         Source address to use (IPv6-only).
    -4                 Force using IPv4.
    -6                 Force using IPv6.

Note: just for help.

Now type the command:

C:\Users\tutorialbyexample>tracert tutorialbyexample.com

Tracing route to tutorialbyexample.com [216.239.32.21]

over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    <1 ms    <1 ms     1 ms  10.33.127.252

  2     *        *        *     Request timed out.

  3     *        *        *     Request timed out.

  4     *        *        *     Request timed out.

  5     *        *        *     Request timed out.

  6     *        *        *     Request timed out.

  7     *        *        *     Request timed out.

  8     *        *        *     Request timed out.

  9     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 10     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 11     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 12     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 13     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 14     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 15     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 16     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 17     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 18     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 19     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 20     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 21     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 22     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 23     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 24     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 25     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 26     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 27     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 28     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 29     *        *        *     Request timed out.

 30     *        *        *     Request timed out.

Trace complete.

As I am accessing this site with proxy and due to unable to get it but in actual you will get details like below:

C:\Users\tutorialbyexample>tracert 10.100.100.100

Tracing route to 10.100.100.100 over a maximum of 30 hops

  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  x.x.x.x

  2    <1 ms    <1 ms     1 ms  x.x.x.x

  3    20 ms    20 ms    20 ms  x.x.x.x

  4    20 ms    20 ms    20 ms  x.x.x.x

  5    20 ms    20 ms    21 ms  x.x.x.x

Trace complete.

Where as x.x.x.x is different IP Address.

Unix: tacert IP or URL

[tutorialbyexample@unix ~]$ traceroute  xx.xxx.xxx.xxx

traceroute to xx.xxx.xxx.xxx (xx.xxx.xxx.xxx), 30 hops max, 40 byte packets

 1  unixhost (xx.xxx.xxx.xxx)  1.064 ms  1.113 ms  1.101 ms

Output is very easy for understand it.

Feel free put your point if any so that Happy to answer!!!