Traceroute is a tool for analysis, and display the route to a destination host. It was specified in RFC 1393.
The tools sends packages with increasing TTL (Time-To-Live) Value to the host. A router discards packages with TTL 1, otherwise reduces the TTL-Value before forwarding.
At traceroute packages with TTL-Value 1, the router responds additionally with a ICMP-Type 11 Code 0 (Time-to-live exceeded, Time to live exceeded in transit) and its own address. und seiner Adresse. If the traceroute package reaches the destination host, it respons with ICMP-Type 3, Code 3 (Destination Unreachable, Port Unreachable).
Due to the increasing TTL-values the package advance in theire route step by step. The route is therefore reproducable. Usually the length of aroute (that is the number of steps probed) is limited.
C:\>tracert google.de Routenverfolgung zu google.de [216.239.59.104] über maximal 30 Abschnitte: 1 <1 ms 1 ms <1 ms xyz [xxx.yyy.zzz.xyz] 2 30 ms 30 ms * 217.0.116.38 3 30 ms 30 ms 29 ms 217.0.66.182 4 32 ms 32 ms 82 ms 194.25.6.62 5 32 ms 32 ms 55 ms 72.14.198.189 6 32 ms 35 ms 32 ms 209.85.255.170 7 44 ms 39 ms 39 ms 209.85.250.140 8 59 ms 59 ms 59 ms 66.249.95.150 9 59 ms 60 ms 60 ms 72.14.232.241 10 59 ms 70 ms 63 ms 216.239.49.114 11 59 ms 59 ms 59 ms gv-in-f104.google.com [216.239.59.104]
