====== Telenegar Traceroute Tool ======

The **Telenegar Traceroute Tool** is a network diagnostic utility designed to trace the hop-by-hop packet path from a probe vantage point to any target IP address or hostname. 

By incrementally increasing Time-To-Live (TTL) values, it maps intermediate network routers, measures round-trip latency at each hop, and identifies network routing bottlenecks, packet loss, or black holes across domestic and international transit paths.

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===== Tool Features & Parameters =====

The Traceroute interface provides flexible controls to customize path discovery behavior:

^ Parameter ^ Description ^ Options / Examples ^
| **Target Host / IP** | The domain name, hostname, or IP address to trace. | e.g., ''catc.ac.ir'', ''telenegar.ir'', ''1.1.1.1'' |
| **MAX HOPS** | The maximum Time-To-Live (TTL) limit / maximum number of router hops to trace before terminating the probe. | Options: ''10 hops'', ''20 hops'', ''30 hops'', ''40 hops'' |
| **QUERIES / HOP** | The number of probe packets sent to each intermediate hop to gather latency variance and packet loss metrics. | Options: ''1 query'', ''2 queries'', ''3 queries'' |
| **PROBE** | The geographical vantage point or datacenter executing the path trace. | ''Falkenstein, Germany — Hetzner Online GmbH'', domestic Iran probes, regional cloud nodes |
| **Resolve hostnames** | Performs reverse DNS (PTR) lookups for intermediate IP addresses to display router hostnames. | Checkbox (Enabled / Disabled) |

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===== How to Perform a Traceroute =====

  # **Enter Target Domain or IP:** Type the target hostname into the primary input box (e.g., ''catc.ac.ir'').
  # **Select Max Hops:** Choose the maximum hop limit from the **MAX HOPS** dropdown (default is ''30 hops'').
  # **Select Queries Per Hop:** Choose the number of probe queries sent per hop from the **QUERIES / HOP** dropdown (e.g., ''1 query'', ''2 queries'', or ''3 queries'').
  # **Select Probe Location:** Select an active remote probe from the **PROBE** dropdown menu.
  # **Enable Hostname Resolution (Optional):** Check the **Resolve hostnames** box if you want the tool to resolve intermediate IP addresses to their [[email:troubleshooting:reverse-dns|Reverse DNS (PTR)]] hostnames.
  # **Execute Trace:** Click the blue **Trace** button to initiate the route trace.

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===== Key Use Cases & Diagnostics =====

==== 1. Routing Bottleneck & Latency Spike Isolation ====
Identify the exact router hop where latency increases significantly (e.g., transitioning from local ISP infrastructure to international transoceanic links or BGP peering points).

==== 2. Packet Loss & Network Black Hole Detection ====
Pinpoint intermediate hops returning asterisks (`* * *`) or high loss rates, indicating dropping routers, ICMP rate-limiting, or asymmetric routing issues.

==== 3. Reverse DNS & ISP Attribution ====
When **Resolve hostnames** is checked, inspect PTR records to identify transit providers, IXPs (Internet Exchange Points), and autonomous systems (AS) handling the connection.

==== 4. Complementing Connectivity Checks ====
Use Traceroute alongside other diagnostic tools when troubleshooting connectivity issues:
  * If [[tools:pingcheck|Ping Check]] fails completely, Traceroute reveals how far packets travel before dropping.
  * If [[tools:portcheck|Port Check]] fails on a specific port but Traceroute reaches the destination IP, the issue is service- or firewall-specific rather than a network routing failure.

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===== Related Documentation & Tools =====

  * [[tools:pingcheck|Telenegar Ping Check Tool]] — Measure packet loss and round-trip latency to a single host.
  * [[tools:portcheck|Telenegar Port Check Tool]] — Audit TCP service port accessibility.
  * [[tools:dnscheck|Telenegar DNS Check Tool]] — Query DNS resolution and propagation across global resolvers.
  * [[tools:sitecheck|Telenegar Site Check Tool]] — Audit website availability, HTTP status, and SSL certificates.
  * [[email:troubleshooting:reverse-dns|Reverse DNS (PTR)]] — Overview of PTR record configuration and hostname matching.