← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10

The traceroute command

Windows command (traceroute on Mac and Linux) that lists each router hop between your device and a site, with the time taken to reach each one. Stars (*) mean no reply.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Networked Systems and Access Control — Module 46, WA Computer Science ATAR Year 11 — Network Communications — Module 74

Understanding The traceroute command in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10

What it does: tracert followed by a domain name lists each hop between your device and that site. Stars (*) in a hop line mean no reply came back for that hop, so no time could be shown. Mac and Linux use the full word traceroute. tracert is the shorter Windows version. Each line is one hop, meaning one router that the data passes through on the way. Tracert shows the time taken to reach each router, usually as three timings in ms. Higher times usually mean the data travelled further or met more delay. Hops are listed in order away from your device.

Common mistakes: Hop numbers count up by one for each router, so the line after hop 2 must be hop 3. Repeating 2 breaks the hop list. The stars still correctly mean no reply. Traceroute shows the time taken to reach each hop, measured in milliseconds (ms). MB measures data size, not time. It should be 1.2 ms.

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Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 41–55) and word search (Modules 12–55).

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Learning
Duo
Which command lists each router hop between a Windows computer and example.com?
tracert example.comtracert -none example.com.hops
Matches
tracert
↓
No destination was given. tracert needs a domain or IP address to trace, such as tracert example.com.
Applying
Meanings
Term
tracert example.com
Meaning
Windows command (traceroute on Mac and Linux) that lists each router hop between your device and a site, with the time taken to reach each one. Stars (*) mean no reply.
Practice
tracert -h 15 example.com
Testing
Gaps
example.com
Check Answer
Spots
3 2 12 ms 10.20.0.1
4 2 * * * Timed out.

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Quick Questions

1. Which command lists each router hop between a Windows computer and example.com?
A. tracert example.com ✓
B. tracert -none example.com.hops
On Windows, tracert followed by a domain lists every router hop on the way to that site.
2. Which command do you use on a Mac or Linux computer to trace the route to a site?
A. tracert example.com
B. traceroute example.com ✓
Mac and Linux use the full word traceroute. tracert is the shorter Windows version.
3. What does each numbered line in the tracert output represent?
A. One router hop on the path to the destination ✓
B. One packet of the web page being downloaded
Each line is one hop, meaning one router that the data passes through on the way.
4. What are the millisecond (ms) times on each hop line showing?
A. How long it took to reach that router ✓
B. How long the router has been switched on
Tracert shows the time taken to reach each router, usually as three timings in ms.
5. A hop line shows * * * and Request timed out. What does the star mean?
A. That router has a 100% fast connection
B. That router sent no reply to the test ✓
Stars (*) mean no reply was received. The router may be busy or set to ignore the test, and the trace can still continue.

Match the Pairs

tracert example.com → Lists each router hop between your device and example.com, with the time taken to reach each one
traceroute example.com → The Mac and Linux version of tracert, which shows the router hops to a site
You want to see every router your data passes through on the way to a website → tracert example.com
A hop line shows * * * Request timed out, meaning that router sent no reply → 3 * * * Request timed out.
tracert → No destination was given. tracert needs a domain or IP address to trace, such as tracert example.com.
tracert example.com -> 5 ms = 5 hops → The time in ms is how long a hop took to reach, not the number of hops. Hops are counted by the numbered lines in the list.

Key Term

tracert example.com
Windows command (traceroute on Mac and Linux) that lists each router hop between your device and a site, with the time taken to reach each one. Stars (*) mean no reply.

Fill in the Blanks

1. tracert example.com
Hint: Type the Windows command that lists each router hop to a site.
2. traceroute example.com
Hint: Type the Mac and Linux version of the command that lists the hops.
3. 2 14 ms 13 ms 15 ms 192.168.1.1
Hint: Type the unit of time used for each hop reply.
4. 4 * * * Request timed out.
Hint: Type the symbol shown when a hop sends no reply.
5. Tracing route to example.com over a maximum of 30 hops:
Hint: Type the word for each router jump counted along the route.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A C:\> tracert example.com
B 1 2 ms 192.168.1.1
C 2 12 ms 10.20.0.1
D 2 * * * Timed out.
Line D — Hop numbers count up by one for each router, so the line after hop 2 must be hop 3. Repeating 2 breaks the hop list. The stars still correctly mean no reply.
Question 2
A $ traceroute example.com
B 1 192.168.1.1 1.2 MB
C 2 10.20.0.1 8.5 ms
D 3 93.184.216.34 25 ms
Line B — Traceroute shows the time taken to reach each hop, measured in milliseconds (ms). MB measures data size, not time. It should be 1.2 ms.
Question 3
A C:\> tracert example.com
B Tracing route to example.com
C over a minimum of 30 hops:
D 1 1 ms 192.168.1.1
Line C — Tracert stops after a maximum number of hops (30 by default) so it cannot run forever. It should say 'maximum', not 'minimum'.
Question 4
A $ tracert example.com
B 1 192.168.1.1 1.2 ms
C 2 10.20.0.1 8.5 ms
Line A — The $ prompt shows a Mac or Linux terminal, where the command is traceroute. Tracert is the Windows name. It should be traceroute example.com.
Question 5
A C:\> tracert example.com
B 1 1 ms 192.168.1.1
C 2 * * * Reply received.
D 3 20 ms 93.184.216.34
Line C — Stars mean the router sent no reply before the timeout. The message should say the request timed out, not that a reply was received.

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