Trace is a network tool that lets you
obtain the list of gateways between your computer
and a particular device. The tool also
calculates and displays response times (in milliseconds),
which identify the amount of time it takes the packet
to travel the route. Response times vary depending
on network load.
You can use the Trace tool to determine if a
gateway is down in the path between your computer
and a specified remote host. (Note that traceroute
does not show the return path, only the path used
to reach the address.)
To use the Trace tool, do the following:
Select the Trace tab.
Enter in the Host text box the host name
or IP address of the remote host (for example,
www.ibm.com).
The drop-down list shows
the previous host names or IP addresses on which
you have done a traceroute.
Set in the Options dialog box any of the
options you want to use:
Timeout
Specifies the number of seconds traceroute
tries a host that is not responding.
Packet size
Specifies
the length in bytes of each packet sent by the
traceroute.
Number of hops
Used to limit the trace (normally 30 hops
reaches anywhere in the world).
Resolve host names
When
this option is checked, the Trace tool resolves
IP addresses to host names.
Click the Start button.
Traceroute
starts the trace and displays the results in
the Response area.
During the search,
the Start button toggles to Stop. You can click
Stop at any time to stop the search.
Tip: You can right-click the
Response area to display the pop-up menu.
Note:
Traceroute requires a static IP address for your
computer. It will also work with IP addresses assigned
by a DHCP server. Traceroute will not work on systems
that rely on emulated IP address such as UNIX systems
running TIA or SLIRP. Traceroute will not work across
firewalls unless the firewall has been configured
to pass ICMP packets.
