PathPing definition
PathPing is a powerful tool for network diagnostics that combines the functionalities of 'ping' and 'traceroute' to provide detailed information about network paths and performance. It is particularly useful for diagnosing network-related issues and identifying points of failure or delays in the network path.
PathPing is often used with other diagnostic tools for a more comprehensive network analysis. Also, you should conduct multiple tests at different times or under varying conditions to account for network variability.
How does PathPing work
- Route tracing. PathPing performs a route-tracing operation similar to traceroute. It sends a series of packets with incrementally increasing Time-To-Live (TTL) values, which helps identify each router (hop) along the path to the destination.
- Packet sending to each hop. After determining the route, PathPing then sends multiple ping packets to each hop along the determined path and collects performance statistics for each hop.
- Data collection. PathPing collects data on packet loss and latency (round-trip time) at each hop, measuring how many packets are lost and how long it takes for packets to travel to each hop and back.
- Analysis. After collecting the data, it can analyze the data and compute packet loss percentages and average latencies for each hop.
