Replace the domain digitalfundi in these examples with your domain.
This Help File shows you how to:
[please note that since this document was written, and since the screen copies were taken the IP address of the digitalfundi server has changed from 216.246.42.141 to 216.104.42.226. The text is updated, but not the screen shots.]
In Windows look for the Command Prompt - probably here:
Start > Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt
You get a small window with a black background, and prompt which is your current path ending in a ">"
eg c:/documents and settings/david>
At the prompt you type a command, and press enter to have it obeyed.
Start with ping digitalfundi.com (with or without the www)
First line says: Pinging digitalfundi.com [216.104.42.226] with 32 bytes of data:
This tells you that it has managed to look up the name and convert it to the IP address of [216.246.42.141]
A common fault is that the connection to the nameserver system fails. If this has happened you won't be able to ping at all.
Note that [216.104.42.226] is the IP address for Digitalfundi - and is the same IP address for all site hosted here.
You will see that Ping sends 4 small packets of data to the server, and notes the trip times.
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 130ms, Maximum = 133ms, Average = 131ms
If the server or any intermediate connection is down, you would see some sort of failure message message.
So, if the ping failed (or even if it didn't) time to do the next test, which will track all the steps tacken to reach the host.
The command is tracert (abbreviated from Trace Route)
tracert digitalfundi.com
Each step of the route takes a time to measure, and some stages timeout - another indicator of problems.
On each line you have the step number, then the min max and avg times, and then the name (maybe) and IP address of the node.
Steps 2-8 are probably various BT nodes, until step 9 when we reach a ukcore.bt.net machine. This will be the BT main network, and you see it moving from bletchley to ealing and finally telehouse, which is the main UK internet gateway.
By step 14 we've reached the USA. See how the response times change. In this case we reach MidPhase (step 17) via cognentco servers (Steps 14-16).
Then two "unkown" servers before reaching digitalfundi.
But for each person the routing will be different. You may see a node called direcpceu.com which may be a European Gateway.
And if you use a Satellite you may recognise an Iway related node name. The main thing is to reach digitalfundi.com.
A clean trace with no time-outs - shows the connection is working.
Otherwise timeouts will indicate where there might be problems.
Be prepared to repeat the test - the routing may well be different.
If you fail to reach digitalfundi.com try reaching Google.com.
If google works, but digitalfundi doesn't, it imples a problem with digitalfundi.
But if both fail, then maybe there's a more general problem.
tracert google.com
Here's google trace.
Steps 1-11 are the same as when trying to reach digitalfundi. But once in the US (after step 13) the routing is different.
Last Update 27 April, 2008