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What is Traceroute ?
Every device (computer, router etc.) connected to the Internet has a unique number called
IP address. The number you see when the Multiple Traceroute loads the first time is most
likely the IP address of your computer.
In order to make it user friendly most of these devices have a name or more names. (well
you might think that some of these names aren't user friendly either). There is a system
called DNS (Domain Name Server) which translates the names to IP addresses (and back if
needed) so the computers will understand (more or less) what the user means. This is the
reason you can use such names as www.tracert.com.
The Internet is a network where such devices are interconnected by wire. When you browse
the Web (or chat with your frineds) the information is sent via lots of pieces of wire and
lots of devices between the two machines on the two ends of the connection. It is the same
as the traffic on the roads: while the road is the wire and the exchanges are the routers
(some of those devices) and the houses are the computers.
So if someone would like to know how he goes from his house to his office he could just
tell the list of the crossroads where he passes.
The same way we can ask the data sent over from your computer to the web server which way
does it go, through which devices ? We ask it by using the utility called traceroute. In
most computers today you can use this tool from the command line: In UNIX machines it is
called traceroute, in MS Windows machines it is called tracert.
It sends small packets of data out to the target machine and measures how long does it
take till they come back. If they come back at all. (Each device in the Internet is
configured to immediately return the same data when such a packet arrives to their
address) Usually a traceroute will try 3 times each machine on the way. Then it prints the
results:
3 times the measured travel time of the small data packet in milisecundum (ms) and then
the devices name (if it has a name) and its IP address. Try to run traceroute from your
computer to www.tracert.com What is a Traceroute
(Web) Gateway ?
Usually the traceroute from computer X is available only when you sit next to computer X.
In order to enable people at the other end of the world to use traceroute from computer X,
the Webmaster of computer X can install a Traceroute Gateway. Such a gateway will run a
traceroute on behalf of the requester and will send back the results via the Web. Today
any web-site owner (or renter) can intall his own Gateway.
What is a Multiple Traceroute Gateway ?
This is a Multiple Traceroute Gateway (MTG). |
