Question

(a) Visit the site www.traceroute.org and perform traceroutes from two different cities in France to the same destination host in the United States. How many links are the same in the two traceroutes? Is the transatlantic link the same? (b) Repeat (a) but this time choose one city in France and another city in Germany. (c) Pick a city in the United States, and perform traceroutes to two hosts, each in a different city in China. How many links are common in the two traceroutes? Do the two traceroutes diverge before reaching China?

Short answer

You need to compare traceroutes from different locations using www.traceroute.org to assess common links and differences.

Step-by-step solution

Choose Cities and Destination

First, visit the website www.traceroute.org. You need to choose two different cities in France as the source cities for this exercise. The destination needs to be a host in the United States. Make sure both traceroutes are directed to the same destination host.

Perform Traceroutes from France

Use the traceroute function from www.traceroute.org for both French cities to the designated host in the United States. Record the sequence of links from the source city to the destination.

Analyze French Traceroutes

Compare the list of links for both traceroutes from France. Identify how many links are the same in both traceroutes, and pay attention to whether the transatlantic link (the link that crosses the Atlantic Ocean) is the same.

Choose Cities in France and Germany

Choose one city from France and another from Germany. Make sure you have access to perform traceroutes from these cities to the same destination in the United States.

Perform Traceroutes from France and Germany

Conduct two traceroutes, one from the chosen city in France and the other from the city in Germany, to the same destination host in the United States. Record the traceroute paths.

Analyze Traceroutes from France and Germany

Compare the traceroute results. Count how many links are the same and note whether the transatlantic link is the same in both routes.

Choose US City and Chinese Destinations

Select a city within the United States as your starting point. From there, choose two different cities in China as the destinations for the next step of the traceroute exercise.

Perform Traceroutes to China

Conduct two traceroutes from the US city to each city in China. Record the sequence of links for each traceroute.

Analyze Traceroutes to China

Examine the sequence of links for the two traceroutes. Determine how many links are common, and identify if and where the routes diverge before reaching China.

Key concepts

Network Paths

A network path is the sequence of routers and links a data packet travels through to reach its destination on the internet. This journey starts from the source device, goes through multiple nodes, and finally reaches the target server or device. Understanding network paths is crucial for diagnosing and optimizing internet connections.

There are several key components in a network path:

• Source and Destination: These are the starting and ending points of the data journey.
• Routers: Intermediate devices that determine the best path for forwarding data packets.
• Links: Communication channels that connect routers and allow data to travel between them.

Analyzing network paths helps in recognizing potential issues such as latency or bottlenecks. Tools like traceroute assist in tracing these paths, showing each hop made by a packet on its journey.

Transatlantic Link

A transatlantic link refers to the internet connection that crosses the Atlantic Ocean, typically composing part of the global internet infrastructure. Such links are a crucial component for international data exchanges, especially between North America and Europe.

Key facts about transatlantic links include:

• Submarine Cables: These undersea cables physically connect continents, enabling high-speed data transfer.
• Capacity and Speed: Equipped with high bandwidth to handle massive volumes of data quickly and efficiently.
• Reliability: These links are carefully constructed to withstand harsh conditions and ensure consistent connectivity.

Transatlantic links play a significant role in maintaining seamless global communications, impacting everything from business operations to personal communications.

Traceroute Analysis

Traceroute is a network diagnostic tool that helps visualize the path a packet travels to reach its destination. By sending packets with incrementally increasing time-to-live (TTL) values, traceroute maps out each hop or router the packet encounters, providing insight into the route and performance of the network.

When analyzing traceroute data, consider the following:

• Hops: The number of routers or points through which the data travels from source to destination.
• IP Addresses: Each hop has an associated IP address, which helps identify the routers along the path.
• Latency: Time taken for data to travel from the source to each hop, indicative of network speed and congestion.

Traceroute analysis is essential for troubleshooting network issues, such as pinpointing where delays or disruptions occur.

Internet Routing

Internet routing is the process determining the most optimal path for packets to travel across interconnected networks to reach their final destination. This process involves decision-making by routers, which depend on various routing protocols and algorithms.

Key points about internet routing include:

• Routing Protocols: Protocols like BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) and OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) direct how routers communicate and update network paths.
• Dynamic Routes: Routes that dynamically change based on network conditions such as traffic load or link failures.
• Autonomous Systems (AS): Large networks managed by single entities that are key components for managing routing and ensuring efficient data flow.

Effective internet routing ensures data takes the shortest or most reliable path, optimizing for speed and reducing congestion across the network.