How traceroute operates

While I am not a complete expert on traceroute, I can tell you a couple things. Windows operating systems use ICMP to perform the traceroute, and UNIX/LINUX operating systems use UDP to perform traceroutes. Basically packets are sent to the destination starting with a TTL on the IP header set to 1. The first router decrements that TTL, and the packet is discarded. Your host is returned a message from the first router. The host then increments the TTL by 1, and the next-hop router (beyond the first router) is discovered. This process continues until the destination is reached.

While this might not be the best explanation, I am sure there are a bunch of smarty pants engineers that know more about traceroute and can explain it better.

If you really want to learn the nuts and bolts of how traceroute works, download Ethereal

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and take a capture of your host completing a traceroute to some common domain like
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-mike

Reply to
Michael Roberts
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It sends Ping requests to the endpoint with gradually increasing TimeToLive values, so that each router in the middle will see an expired TTL and return it. Examination of the returned results will tell you the path to your destination.

Reply to
William P.N. Smith

Hello

Might someone describe briefly how traceroute operates??

Thanks for your advice.

Regards, Lukasz

Reply to
Lukasz

"man traceroute" should give all information you need ; "

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Reply to
phn

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