Trace Route - How to Do this...

What is a Trace Route and How do I run one?

What is a Trace Route-
A traceroute is a function which traces the path from one network to another. It allows us to diagnose the source of many problems.

Note: To be effective, the traceroute MUST be run during a time when you are experiencing the problem, from a computer that is experiencing the problem. A trace when you are able to connect, or one from another computer, is not helpful. Therefore, you should try to connect to your site again just before you run it. If the problem is no longer occurring, you will have to wait until the next time the problem occurs (if there is a next time) before running your traceroute.

In order to be able to offer you the best possible connection, we do need your help.By doing the following steps and sending us the result, we can see where and if the connection-path could be optimized.

Please send us the result by e-mail:
Support.en@darkorbit.com

It is important, that you are letting as know the city your are in and the Internet-Provider you are connected to as well as what kind of connection you have... (Modem, DSL, etc...)

How Do I Run a Trace Route

To run traceroute on a Windows:
Open the command prompt.

1. Go to Start > Run.
2. Type cmd and press the Enter key.
   (On Windows 98 or ME, type command instead and press the Enter key.)
3. This will bring up a command prompt window. It has a line that looks like this:
   C:\Documents and Settings\yourname> _ with a cursor blinking next to the ">" symbol.

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2. In the command prompt, type:tracert hostname
where [hostname] is the name of the server connection you are testing

Type in the following line:Tracert us1.darkorbit.com.bigpoint.com/ if you want to tarce the US server:

NOTE: Servers will vary examples to be shown below:

us1.darkorbit.bigpoint.com/ = US1 East
us2.darkorbit.bigpoint.com/= US West
us3.darkorbit.bigpoint.com/= US East 2
int1.darkorbit.bigpoint.com/ = Global Europe
gb1.darkorbit.bigpoint.com/ = Great Britain

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3. You may have to wait up to a minute or more for the test to complete. It will generate a list of the connections along the way and some information about the speed of the steps along the way.

4. Send us the complete results (every line) for analysis.
Right-click the window and Select All, then hit Enter on your keyboard. You can paste it now into a document.

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If you have difficulty copying the traceroute information, or if it runs off the screen, you can type this command instead:tracert [hostname] > C:\trace1.txtThis writes the command results to a text file named trace1.txt in the root of your C: drive.

You can then open this file and paste the contents into your email message to Support.


To run traceroute on a Macintosh:

If you have OS X, you can use the built-in network tools.

1. Double-click the Hard Drive icon and navigate to Applications > Utilities.
2. In the Utilities folder, double-click one of the following programs:
   • Network Utility.
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• Click the Raceroute Tab and enter the Host name.

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• Terminal

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• In Terminal, type: Traceroute host name:

Hostname is the name of the server connection you are testing.​

Type in the following line:Tracert us1.darkorbit.com.bigpoint.com/ if you want to trace the US server:

NOTE: Servers will vary examples to be shown below:

us1.darkorbit.bigpoint.com/ = US1 East
us2.darkorbit.bigpoint.com/= US West
us3.darkorbit.bigpoint.com/= US East 2
int1.darkorbit.bigpoint.com/ = Global Europe
gb1.darkorbit.bigpoint.com/ = Great Britain

In the command prompt, type:tracert hostname
where [hostname] is the name of the server connection you are testing

1. You may have to wait up to a minute or more for the test to complete. It will generate a list of the connections along the way and some information about the speed of the steps along the way.
2. Send us the complete results (every line) for analysis.

If you have an older Macintosh, you may need to acquire third-party software. Go to Google and search for "Trace" on "Macintosh" programs. Programs like the DNS Expert Professional will allow you to run a traceroute. Then send us the results for analysis.


We hope this helps.
Your Dark Orbit Team