traceroute

Overview

The traceroute command prints the route packets trace to a network host. It shows the path and measuring transit delays of packets.

Syntax

traceroute [options] host [packetlen]

Common Options

Option	Description
`-4`	IPv4 only
`-6`	IPv6 only
`-f first_ttl`	Start from hop
`-m max_ttl`	Maximum hops
`-n`	Don’t resolve names
`-p port`	Destination port
`-w waittime`	Wait time for response
`-q nqueries`	Number of probes
`-I`	Use ICMP probes
`-T`	Use TCP probes
`-U`	Use UDP probes

Key Use Cases

Route discovery
Network troubleshooting
Latency analysis
Path verification
Network mapping

Examples with Explanations

Example 1: Basic Usage

traceroute google.com

Trace route to Google

Example 2: No DNS

traceroute -n 8.8.8.8

Numeric output only

Example 3: TCP Mode

traceroute -T -p 80 website.com

TCP traceroute to port 80

Understanding Output

Example output:

 1  192.168.1.1  1.123 ms  0.893 ms  0.932 ms
 2  10.0.0.1     5.342 ms  5.876 ms  5.123 ms

Components: - Hop number - Router address - Response times (3 probes)

Common Usage Patterns

Basic trace:
```
traceroute hostname
```
Maximum hops:
```
traceroute -m 15 hostname
```
Fast trace:
```
traceroute -n -q 1 hostname
```

Performance Analysis

Path length
Response times
Packet loss
Route stability
Network bottlenecks

Additional Resources

Best Practices

Use appropriate protocol
Consider timeouts
Document results
Regular testing
Compare paths

Troubleshooting

Timeouts
Path changes
High latency
Packet loss
Route loops

Protocol Options

UDP (default)
ICMP
TCP
Custom ports
Packet sizes