Traceroute is a network diagnostic tool that traces the path data packets take from your computer (the source) to a specified destination across an IP network, such as the internet. It reveals each intermediate device—typically routers—through which the data travels, commonly referred to as “hops,” and measures the time taken for each hop.
How Traceroute Works
• Traceroute operates by sending packets with gradually increasing Time-to-Live (TTL) values. The TTL value determines how many hops a packet can make before being discarded.
• Each router that handles the packet decrements the TTL by one. When the TTL reaches zero, the router discards the packet and sends back a “TTL exceeded” message to the sender.
• Traceroute starts with a TTL of 1, so the first router returns a message, revealing its address and the round-trip time. The process repeats with TTLs incremented by one, mapping each hop along the route until the destination is reached or a set maximum (usually 30 hops).
• The output lists all routers traversed, along with the time it took to reach each one (often shown as three separate measurements per hop for accuracy).