How-To: Ping, Ping, Ping, Trace Route! (Part 3)

By Web Hosting Help Guy

Packet Loss & Trace Routes – Demystified.

If a hop within your trace route reports back a single asterisk it’s most likely true packet lose. If your trace route reports back asterisks for all the packets and your web site is accessible, it’s probably just the configuration for that router. If it reports back asterisks for all the packets and you can’t get to your web site then get on the phone to your web hosting company ASAP!

I’ve Got My Ping, I’ve Got My Trace Route, Now What?

Once you’ve run your ping test and trace route you’ll be better equipped in determining where the problem lies. Here’s a few scenarios and some of the typical problems that would cause them:

If your ping times are low and your trace route includes just a few (10 or so) hops then your situation is ideal. If you’re experiencing a slow website or email it may be an issue with your host and most likely not an issue with the network. If your trace route shows a significant spike in time at a certain location or you experience packet loss notify your host with your test results and ask them to correct the issue. If your host is simply just too far away ask them to move you to a closer data center or look into a host that offers a choice of locations.

Part 2 (go back)

Related posts:

1. How-To: Ping, Ping, Ping, Trace Route! (Part 1)
2. How-To: Ping, Ping, Ping, Trace Route! (Part 2)
3. Use Light Speed to Locate Your Server
4. Design Tip: Don’t Be 5,000 Miles From Your Server
5. 9 Tips to Make Your Website Load Much Faster (Part 2)