Which command identifies the path to a remote host?

Which command identifies the path to a remote host?

• A. ping
• B. ip route
• C. tracert (Windows) or traceroute (Unix/Linux)
• D. nslookup

Answer: (C)

Traceroute reveals the path to a remote host by listing each hop the packet traverses on its way to the destination. It works by sending probes with progressively larger TTL (time-to-live) values; when a router decrements TTL to zero, it drops the packet and sends back an ICMP time-exceeded reply, revealing that router’s address. Repeating with higher TTL uncovers the next hop, giving a hop-by-hop map of the route and the time each hop takes. This makes it ideal for diagnosing where delays or failures occur along the path. In Windows this utility is tracert, and on Unix/Linux it’s traceroute. By contrast, ping only tests reachability and round-trip time to the destination without showing the path. ip route shows the local device’s routing table, not the actual route taken to the remote host. nslookup queries DNS records, not network paths.

Traceroute reveals the path to a remote host by listing each hop the packet traverses on its way to the destination. It works by sending probes with progressively larger TTL (time-to-live) values; when a router decrements TTL to zero, it drops the packet and sends back an ICMP time-exceeded reply, revealing that router’s address. Repeating with higher TTL uncovers the next hop, giving a hop-by-hop map of the route and the time each hop takes. This makes it ideal for diagnosing where delays or failures occur along the path. In Windows this utility is tracert, and on Unix/Linux it’s traceroute. By contrast, ping only tests reachability and round-trip time to the destination without showing the path. ip route shows the local device’s routing table, not the actual route taken to the remote host. nslookup queries DNS records, not network paths.