Traceroute is a command that shows you the path a
packet of information takes to get from your computer to one that you specify. It will
list all the routers it passes through until it reaches its
destination, or fails to and is discarded. In addition to this,
it will tell you how long each 'hop' from router to router
takes.
You can use tracert from your Windows-based computer (described here), or from a third-party service, such as dnsstuff.com. For other computer types, please consult your user documentation.
In Windows, from the Start menu, go to Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt. In the window that comes up, enter the command tracert, followed by a space, and then the domain name or IP address you wish to check the path to. An example follows:
After you enter the command, each stage of the route from your computer to the specified destination computer will be traced, along with the time it takes to get to each router (or hop) along the way. If you see asterisks rather than router information along the path, it means that intermediary routers or your local ISP or firewall are blocking your request. Even if this happens, you may still be able to see if the route fails at some point, or the total time to get to the destination computer.
You may also want to use a tool like dnsstuff.com to do a tracert from a third-party server to your destination computer. This can help if you are blocked from doing a local tracert, and can also help indicate if a problem accessing a site is local (regional to your computer), or global.
If you ever experience site access problems, performing a tracert is a logical early step to determine if the problem is local (in which case your hosting provider can't help), or if it is more systemic. Providing your hosting support team with the tracert info. can also help diagnose your problem sooner.
