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If a Web site is inaccessible, how can your tell where the problem lies, and is there anything that you can do to fix it? In part 1 of this article, I explained some basics about how your Internet connection works, and described how to "ping" a site )http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y203/m05/abu0094/s03).
In this article, Part 2, I will discuss traceroutes. Finally, in Part 3, I will explain the challenges of checking a site like eBay, I'll list some resources that will allow you to check your connection online, and share some programs that will teach you more than you ever wanted to know about connectivity.
Traceroute
If you've determined by "pinging" the site that the connection is slow, the next step is to do a Traceroute to find out where the problem might be. Traceroute is another utility that comes bundled with Windows, and will give you a clear view of the path you're taking to reach your destination.
To access Traceroute:
Click Start
Go to Programs>MS-Dos Prompt and open
You'll get a window with a similar prompt to the following: C:\WINDOWS>
Type: tracert www.yoursite.com (replacing yoursite with the name of the site you're checking)
You'll get a screen with data similar to this:
Tracing route to yoursite.com [Tracing route to yoursite.com [000.00.00.000] over a maximum of 30 hops:
You have just "pinged" every router along the way to your destination, making a nice visual roadmap of your route. Traceroute is a great way to tell if a problem lies within your own ISP's network or someone else's network. You'll see that my traceroute takes me from my own ISP to Verio, a large Web hosting company. If you notice on the example, at hop #9, the ping times rise quite a bit. There is either heavy traffic or some technical issue occurring. The slowdown on this traceroute appears to be in Verio's network somewhere.
Why is it important to know these things? If the slowdown in this example occurred at hop #5 or earlier, I would know to contact my own ISP report that there was a problem in their system. Most good ISPs are appreciative if you discover a problem and can provide them with a traceroute in an email. It can expedite the repair of the problem and keep you surfing at a good speed.
Reporting the issue is key. After you've performed a traceroute, you can copy and paste the data into an email. If the problem resides within your ISP's network, you can send it to your provider's tech support. If you've never reported an issue before, call your provider's tech support and ask them where to send the traceroute. A good support technician may even ask to have you send it directly to him or her, and can help expedite the report.
If the problem lies outside your provider's network, the issue is a bit more complicated. Here's where a good all-in-one utility comes in handy. If you're going to seriously pursue a problem, you'll want to be armed with a program like Sam Spade or PingPlotter. Sam Spade is a free tool that provides Ping and Trace Route utilities within the program, and also some great features for tracking down the tech support contacts for various networks. PingPlotter ($15) also has these tools built into it, and gives you a great visual map of the route you're taking to a site, and where it may be broken.
If you run a traceroute to a Site, and the problem exists on a major Internet backbone, such as Exodus or Verio, you can use these tools to copy the traceroute and paste it into an email to send to the appropriate tech support contact. Usually, these types of problems don't clear up overnight, but if the provider receives enough complaints or you reach the proper person, you might be surprised at what you can accomplish with an email and a traceroute.
Next time: How do I check if eBay is down?
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