Traveling Through the Network

When using the ping and traceroute commands, small data blocks are sent over the network called packets. A ping sends 32 bytes of data in 4 packets to the destination address. Once all packets reach the destination, a reply is sent back to the sender, measuring the round trip time and reporting errors. Ping can be used to tell if a computer on a local network is active. Traceroute is used to trace the path of Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) packets from a user to a host, showing the number of steps or hops it takes to reach the destination. If a router between the user and host returns a “request timed out” error, it signifies possible network congestion.

For the ping activity, I sent a ping to Google.com, Zenmarket.jp, and Baidu.cn. The results for Google.com were 4 of 4 packets sent and received with a minimum time of 9ms, maximum time of 15ms, and an average of 10ms. Traceroute took 11 hops to reach google.com, with 2 of them timing out. Japan-based Zenmarket.jp came back with 4 of 4 packets sent and received with a minimum time of 9ms, maximum of 15ms, and an average of 10ms. Traceroute checked ten hops to reach Zenmarket.jp, 2 of which timed out. Chinese website Baidu.cn returned 4 of 4 packets with a minimum of 215ms, a maximum of 217ms, and an average of 215ms. Traceroute hit 22 routers before reaching Baidu.com, with 8 of them timing out. The geographic location of the ping or traceroute destination increases the time it takes to send and receive packets. An example of geographic location affecting network speed is playing online video games. Some games have servers located in different parts of the world, allowing users to select the closest to them to decrease their lag time.

The ping command can determine if a website or host computer is available and determine response time. Ping can also be used to troubleshoot your network. Ping can be sent to your home router, with a time-out error indicating an issue between your PC and router. If the traceroute command returns an error, there could be an issue within the network, such as a Domain Name Server (DNS) resolution error, packet loss, or network latency. Traceroute helps pinpoint which hop or router the problem is occurring.