Ping is a simple utility that is used to check if a server is active and responding, and if it is, how long it is taking packets of information to travel from your computer to the destination server. Packets are small blocks of data (often 32 bytes of information), the sending is then are checked to ensure that the data is transfered accurately. In addition to the time statistics provided, you will also receive the IP address of your destination. This can be usefull in tracking domain name issues by ensuring that the domain is pointing to the correct IP address.

Traceroute is a utility that helps diagnose network congestion between your computer (ISP) and the destination server (www.domainname.com). Traceroute works by sending packets of information from your location to the destination and timing how long it takes to receive a response. In addition to tracking the time it takes to reach the final destination, you are provided with the times to each 'Hop' between your terminal and the destination. Each Hop is a separate 'router' that your information must pass through. By providing the times for each hop, we can often find the source of problems accessing a server.

Using Ping in MS DOS

For Windows users, ping is already setup to run in the MS DOS window. To use Ping, open an MS DOS window, and type 'ping www.domainname.com' (without the quotes) and press [ENTER]. You should see something that looks similar to the following:

pinging bytesweb.com [69.93.237.34] with

Reply from 69.93.237.34: bytes=32 time=4
Reply from 69.93.237.34: bytes=32 time=5
Reply from 69.93.237.34: bytes=32 time=4
Reply from 69.93.237.34: bytes=32 time=4

Ping statistics for 69.93.237.34:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Los
approximate round trip times in milli-se
Minimum = 48ms, Maximum = 50ms, Aver

This tells you that the Bytesweb server is up and running, and that the average time it took 32 bytes of data to travel from your computer to www.Bytesweb.com, and back is 98ms.

Using Traceroute in MS DOS

For Windows 95 and 98 users, traceroute is already setup to run in the MS DOS window. To use traceroute, open an MS DOS window, and type 'tracert www.domainname.com' and press [ENTER].

As you can see, it took 13 'hops' to get from my computer to the www.Bytesweb.com server. If you experience hops with * this denotes possible congestion (packet loss) and can affect the loading of your pages. When this occurs and you are having trouble accessing your server, send in a support request with the above information. You can use the Copy and Paste buttons in MSDOS to copy to the request form's text box.

HELPFUL TIP
You can save the information from a Ping or Traceroute to a text file by using the following syntax:
Ping Bytesweb.com >>filename.txt
Tracert Bytesweb.com >>filename.txt