Summary

This article provides instructions on performing a traceroute on a Mac OS X computer.

 

How-To

Mac OS X has a command-line utility for performing a trace route called "traceroute". A traceroute is a network map of connection points to get from one location, usually your device to another location (e.g. www.unh.edu ). The traceroute measures the turn-by-turn steps (or hops) and associated time to complete the trace.

 

 

Instructions

Step 1 - Open a Terminal window. Terminal can be found by opening the Finder, select Applications and Utilities. To open a terminal session, double-click on "Terminal.app".

 

Step 2 - Inside the Terminal application, the traceroute command is "traceroute" and the specified target (i.e. www.unh.edu ). The command will output the results of the traceroute to the screen.

 

Step 3 - To copy this result simple highlight and copy (Command (?) C). You may also export the results of the trace route directly to a file on your computer. The example below outputs the trace route results to the file "traceroute_results.txt" on the user's Desktop.

 

The resulting file will include the same trace route information that is displayed on the screen in the previous step.

 

Outcome

You have performed a traceroute on a MAC OS X computer.

 

Further Readings

How To: Trace Route (Windows)

How To: Nslookup (Mac OS X)

How-To: NSLookup (Windows)

 

Need additional help?

Visit the ET&S Help Desk Support page to locate your local campus contact information or to submit an online technology support request.  For password issues you must call or visit the Help Desk in person.