Trace a path by using the tracert command

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To trace a path by using the tracert command

  • Open Command Prompt, and type the following:

    tracertHostName

    Or, type tracert IPAddress

    where HostName or IPAddress is the host name or IP address, respectively, of the remote computer.

    For example, to trace the path from this computer to www.microsoft.com, type the following at a command prompt:

    tracert www.microsoft.com

    If you do not want the tracert command to resolve and display the names of all routers in the path, use the -d parameter. This expedites the display of the path. For example, to trace a path from this computer to www.microsoft.com without displaying the router names, type the following at a command prompt:

    tracert -d www.microsoft.com

Notes

  • To open a command prompt, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command prompt.

  • The tracert command traces the path by sending Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request and Echo Reply messages (similar to the ping command) to produce command-line report output about each router that is crossed and the roundtrip time (RTT) for each hop. Packet filtering policies on routers, firewalls, or other types of security gateways might prevent forwarding of this traffic.

  • If tracert is unsuccessful, you can use the command output to help determine at which intermediate router forwarding failed or was slowed.

  • For details about packet forwarding and packet loss at each router and link in the path, use the pathping command.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

Troubleshooting TCP/IP
Test a TCP/IP configuration by using the ping command
Tracert
Pathping
Command-line utilities