tracert:tldr:2e87f

The tracert command (short for "trace route") is a network diagnostic tool used in command-line interfaces (such as Windows Command Prompt or Linux Terminal) to trace the path that packets of data take from one device (usually the user's device) to another device on a network (specified by the IP address).

In the command "tracert ${IP}", ${IP} represents a placeholder for an actual IP address. When running this command, you would replace ${IP} with the IP address or domain name of the device or server you want to trace the route to.

Once you execute the command, the tracert tool starts by sending packets with gradually increasing Time-To-Live (TTL) values to the destination IP address, starting with TTL=1. Each packet contains a unique identifier. When a packet reaches a router along the route, its TTL value is decremented by one. If the TTL reaches zero, the router discards the packet and sends an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Time Exceeded message back to the sender. This helps tracert determine the path taken by the packets.

The tracert tool then records the IP address of each hop (router) along the path and measures the round-trip time (RTT) it takes for the ICMP messages to reach each router and return. It continues this process with increasingly higher TTL values until it reaches the destination or a maximum limit set by the tool (typically 30 hops).

By displaying the IP addresses and round-trip times of each hop, tracert provides insights into the network connectivity and any potential disruptions or delays encountered along the route. This information is useful for troubleshooting network issues, identifying bottlenecks, or understanding the routing of traffic on a network.