(trās´rowt) (n.) A utility that traces a packet from your computer to a target host ( target computer or network card ).

Traceroute shows how many hops is required to reach a target host and how long each hop takes.

Traceroute can be used to figure out where the longest delays are occurring or where network traffic is stopping.

In Windows, you can run tracert by selecting Start->Run > cmd

Type the following command :

tracert www.google.com

Traceroute finds out where data packs from your computer have to go before they can get to your target host and all the intermediary hosts in between.