Traveling Through a Network

 Using the ping and traceroute commands gave me a clear picture of how packets travel across networks. A ping test works by sending packets to a server and measuring how quickly they return, while traceroute reveals the series of routers (or “hops”) that those packets pass through on their journey. Together, they show both the speed and the path of internet communication.

Ping Results

My first ping test to Google.com was very fast, with an average round-trip time of 22ms, ranging from 16ms to 25ms, and no packet loss (Figure 1). When I pinged Google.jp, the times were higher and more variable, with an average of 40ms and one spike reaching 91ms (Figure 2). Finally, pinging Google.cn showed an average of 20ms, with results ranging from 15ms to 26ms (Figure 3). In all cases, there was 0% packet loss, which indicates a reliable connection.

These results highlight how geography and routing can affect speed. The closer servers (such as Google.com in the U.S.) had consistently lower latency, while international sites showed more fluctuation in response times.

Traceroute Results

The traceroute results supported the ping findings. The traceroute to Google.com reached its destination in just four hops, with times as low as 15ms (Figure 4). The traceroute to Google.jp also completed in four hops, but one of the hops showed a “request timed out,” which is common when certain routers are configured not to reply. The final hop, however, showed the Japanese Google server responding normally (Figure 5). A traceroute to Google.ca had a similar pattern, completing successfully after four hops, with a final average latency of about 86–92ms at the last router.

Reflection

Comparing the results shows a direct relationship between round-trip time and geographical location. The U.S. Google server was fastest, while the Japanese and Canadian servers introduced more delay due to greater distances and additional routing. Even though the differences were only a few dozen milliseconds, it demonstrates how physical location and internet infrastructure affect performance.

Ping and traceroute are also powerful troubleshooting tools. Ping can quickly confirm if a connection exists and whether packet loss is happening. Traceroute goes further, showing where along the path delays or failures occur. For example, a time-out at one hop does not always mean failure. It may just mean the router is configured not to respond. Two common reasons a ping or traceroute might fail include: (1) firewalls blocking ICMP packets, and (2) overloaded routers dropping low-priority traffic.

Conclusion

This activity demonstrated that internet traffic is not instantaneous or direct; instead, packets hop through multiple systems before reaching their destination. The ping tests revealed speed and reliability, while traceroute mapped the path. Together, they provide valuable tools for understanding network performance and diagnosing connectivity problems.