LAB TRACERT Command

Lab Project: Using the TRACERT Command

Lab Title: Network Path Discovery with the TRACERT Command

Objective

By the end of this lab, students will be able to:

  • Understand the purpose of the TRACERT command.

  • Trace the path packets take across the Internet.

  • Identify network hops.

  • Measure network latency.

  • Recognize where communication delays occur.

  • Document and analyze the results.

 

TRACERT works by sending packets with increasing Time-to-Live (TTL) values, allowing it to identify each router (hop) between the source computer and the destination. It is commonly used to troubleshoot routing and network performance problems.

 

 

Prerequisites

  • Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer

  • Internet connection

  • Command Prompt access

 

 

 

Lab Scenario

You have received reports that users are experiencing slow connections to websites. Your task is to determine the network path and identify where delays may be occurring.

 

 

Part 1 – Open Command Prompt

  1. Press Windows + R.

  2. Type:

 
cmd
 

  1. Press Enter.

 

 

Part 2 – Verify Internet Connectivity

Type:

 
ping google.com
 

Example:

 
Reply from 142.250.72.14:
bytes=32 time=18ms TTL=118
 

If replies are received, proceed to the next section.

 

 

Part 3 – Run TRACERT

Trace the route to Google.

 
tracert google.com
 

Example Output

 
Tracing route to google.com

1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms   192.168.1.1
2      8 ms      9 ms      8 ms   ISP Router
3     12 ms     11 ms     13 ms   Regional Router
4     18 ms     17 ms     18 ms   Internet Backbone
5     22 ms     23 ms     22 ms   Google Server

Trace complete.
 

 

Part 4 – Analyze the Output

Complete the following table.

 

Hop IP Address / Name Response Time Purpose
1     Default Gateway
2     ISP Router
3     Regional Network
4     Backbone Router
5     Destination

 

 

Part 5 – Trace Another Website

Run:

 
tracert microsoft.com
 

Record:

  • Number of hops

  • Slowest hop

  • Fastest hop

  • Destination reached (Yes/No)

 

 

Part 6 – Trace an IP Address

Instead of a hostname, use an IP address.

 
tracert 8.8.8.8
 

Questions

  • Was the path different?

  • Did the response times change?

 

 

Part 7 – Use TRACERT Options

Do not resolve hostnames

 
tracert -d google.com
 

Question:

Why is this command faster?

 

 

Limit the number of hops

 
tracert -h 5 google.com
 

Question:

What happened after the fifth hop?

 

 

Increase timeout

 
tracert -w 5000 google.com
 

Question:

What does the timeout value represent?

 

 

Part 8 – Troubleshooting

Run:

 
tracert nonexistentwebsite.example
 

Observe the error message.

Discuss why the trace failed.

 

 

Lab Questions

  1. What is the purpose of the TRACERT command?

  2. What is a network hop?

  3. What does TTL stand for?

  4. Which hop is usually your home router?

  5. Why do some hops display * * * Request timed out?

  6. Does a timeout always indicate a network problem?

  7. Why are some hops slower than others?

  8. What is the difference between PING and TRACERT?

  9. Which command option skips hostname resolution?

  10. When would a network administrator use TRACERT?

 

 

Challenge Activity

Trace the following websites and compare results.

 
tracert google.com

tracert microsoft.com

tracert amazon.com

tracert cloudflare.com
 

Create a comparison table.

Website Number of Hops Average Response Time Trace Completed
Google      
Microsoft      
Amazon      
Cloudflare      

 

 

Deliverables

Submit:

  • Screenshot of each tracert command.

  • Completed hop analysis table.

  • Answers to all lab questions.

  • Comparison chart for the four websites.

  • A one-paragraph summary explaining what you learned about network routing and latency.

 

 

Learning Outcomes

After completing this lab, students should be able to:

  • Explain how TRACERT discovers the path to a destination.

  • Interpret hop counts and latency values.

  • Differentiate between successful and failed traces.

  • Use common TRACERT options (-d, -h, -w) effectively.

  • Apply TRACERT as a troubleshooting tool for identifying routing issues and network delays.

PreviousNext