1. What is ping?

ping is a basic network troubleshooting command used to check:

• If a host is reachable

• How long it takes to send/receive packets (latency)

• Packet loss

How ping works

• Sends ICMP Echo Request packets to a destination.

• Waits for ICMP Echo Reply packets.

Common usage

Useful options

• Limit count:

   

  ping -c 4 google.com

• Specify interval:

   

  ping -i 0.5 google.com

• Large packet size (for testing network stress):

   

  ping -s 1000 google.com

What ping helps you diagnose

• Internet not working → check basic connectivity

• High latency → network congestion

• Packet loss → poor connection or faulty router

• DNS issues → try pinging IP instead of domain

2. What is traceroute?

traceroute shows the path a packet takes from your computer to a destination.

It helps you identify:

• Where delay (latency) is happening

• Where packet loss occurs

• Which router/hop is causing issues

How traceroute works

• Sends packets with increasing TTL (Time To Live) values.

• Each router on the path decreases TTL and sends back an ICMP Time Exceeded message.

• You see each “hop” between you and the destination.

Common usage

If traceroute is not installed:

Useful options

• Use ICMP instead of UDP:

   

  traceroute -I google.com

• Use TCP SYN packets (good for blocked networks):

   

  traceroute -T google.com

Ping vs Traceroute — Key Difference

When to use what?

Use ping when:

• You want to quickly check if a server is reachable.

• You want to know latency.

• You want to check for packet loss.

Use traceroute when:

• Network is slow and you want to find where the delay happens.

• Path between two servers is changing.

• You want to detect where packets are getting dropped.