Guide

How to check the route used to a server

Observer the different network jumps borrowed by packages to a destination…

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Network. Beginner 4 min.

Observer the different network jumps borrowed by packages to a destination.

Avant de commencer : adaptez toujours les commandes et manipulations à votre environnement. Sur un système de production, prévoyez une backup ou un retour arrière lorsque l’action peut modifier la configuration.

Étapes à suivre

  1. 1

    Open a terminal.

    Run Windows Terminal.

  2. 2

    Run tracet.

    Enter tracet followed by the name DNS or the IP address.

  3. 3

    Watching the jumps.

    Each line corresponds to a step of the network path.

  4. 4

    Compare with the routing table.

    Use print road to control local roads.

Commands utiles

tracer 8.8.8.
road print.

À retenir

  • Asterisks in tracer do not necessarily mean that equipment is out of order: some routers filter ICMP.
  • The first jump is usually the local gateway.
Technical deep dive

Windows routing: read the route actually selected

Technical checkpoints

  • Windows selects the most specific prefix first, then the metric; merely having a route does not mean it will be used.
  • Get-NetRoute and Get-NetIPInterface link routes, interfaces and metrics.
  • tracert shows hops that answer ICMP; some routers do not reply even when application traffic is not blocked.

Route to a target

Compare the default route, more specific routes and metrics before blaming WAN/VPN.

Get-NetRoute -AddressFamily IPv4 | Sort-Object DestinationPrefix
tracert 10.20.30.40

Topic-specific pitfalls

  • Adding a static route as a test can hide the real cause and may accidentally remain persistent.
  • VPN clients can inject more specific routes or change metrics.

How to validate

  • The most specific route to the target uses the expected interface and gateway.
  • The return path is also checked when traffic is asymmetric or filtered.
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