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Saturday, October 24, 1998 4:13:02 PM 

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Bray: Serious Surfer Should Have `Ping' and `Traceroute'

HIAWATHA BRAY
c.1998 The Boston Globe

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nytsyn/1998/10/23/cndin/3200-0220-pat_nytimes%7C/home/content/users/im
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         BOSTON -- Like everyone else, I often wait in frustrated
anticipation for a Web page to appear on my computer screen. But I
don't waste empty minutes playing electronic solitaire. I prefer the
game called Figuring It Out. Why is my Internet connection so slow?
Why is this particular Web site so sluggish?

         These aren't simple questions. The Internet actually is
thousands of networks woven together; there are so many possible
points of failure, it's a wonder the thing works at all. But if you
can figure out why you're having trouble getting through to a Web
site or receiving e-mail, you may be able to sidestep the problem,
and get some work done.

         Which is why I don't go surfing without those basic tools
of the network engineer: a couple of programs called Ping and
Traceroute. These are pieces of software that'll tell you how quickly
your machine is communicating with some other computer on the
network.

         Ping and Traceroute were developed years ago for use with
Unix, an operating system designed from the ground up for use in
networks. Now that we're all hopping onto the Internet, every
serious PC or Mac user should also have Ping and Traceroute in his
toolkit.

         Lots of you already do, without knowing it. In a rare act
of modesty, Microsoft Corp. added Ping and Traceroute to Windows 95
and 98, without advertising the fact. I stumbled across them by
accident three years ago. Mac users aren't quite as lucky, but Ping
and Traceroute software for the Mac can be downloaded off the 'Net at
no charge.

         What do they do? Consider their names. Ping sounds like the
sonar in a submarine warfare movie, right? That's the idea. Ping
sends out a special data packet to any Internet server computer you
choose. All Internet servers are programmed to echo this type of
packet back to its source, like sonar bouncing off a ship. The
sending computer calculates the packet's travel time, measured in
milliseconds.

         Anything under 400 milliseconds is fine, but you can get
one- or two-second times when the network is really running slow, and
if the server is down, you'll get no response at all. Can't get
through to yourfavoritesite.com? ``Pinging'' the site is a quick and
dirty way to see whether it's up and running. On a Windows PC, just
open up a DOS window and type ``ping'' and the address of the site.

         Say your site pings you back, but very slowly. What's
causing the slowdown? Traceroute can help you figure it out. Every
Internet packet passes through a number of router computers on its
way to its destination. Often a slow router will delay your message.
Traceroute can pinpoint the problem by pinging each router along the
path, and timing its response. Again, your wait should be less than
400 milliseconds. To try this on a Windows PC, type ``tracert'' and
the site address.

         If you're not satisfied with the Windows versions of these
tools, there are a bunch of programs on the Web that do the same
thing. The coolest of the PC offerings is NeoTrace, a $19.50
Traceroute program that actually draws you a map of your Internet
connections. For a free trial, go to http://www.neoworx.com.

         Macintosh users can try WhatRoute, a free Ping and
Traceroute program available for download at
http://mac.org/internet/whatroute.

         And if you don't feel like loading up new software, there
are Web sites that provide on-line Traceroute services at no charge.
Just type in the server name, and let somebody else's machine do the
work. To find these sites, go to http://www.yahoo.com and search
under ``traceroute.''

         What good is all this information? Even if you find that
you're getting hung up on a router in San Francisco, there's not a
lot you can do about it - unless you've got more than one Internet
provider. But at least you know.

         And if your work requires you to have Internet access, you
ought to have at least two ways of getting on-line. I maintain
America Online and CompuServe accounts, and a Web hosting account
with Concentric Network in California, because this gives me access
to several different Internet backbones. When one is crawling,
another is screaming. And with the help of Ping and Traceroute,
anybody can figure out which is which. It beats the heck out of
playing solitaire.

------------

Also in this issue:

- Online Bookstore Launched for Canadians
    [October 23, 1998] CYBERplex Inc. launched an online bookstore
    called ChaptersGLOBE.com, in conjunction with Canada's largest
    bookseller, Chapters Inc., and the Toronto Globe and Mail. The store
    has a focus on Canadian authors.
- Civil Liberties Group Challenges Internet Porn Law
    PHILADELPHIA--A U.S. civil liberties coalition representing
    booksellers, gay rights groups, medical professionals and the media
    went to court Thursday to stop Congress' latest bid to curtail
    pornography on the Internet.
- Bray: Serious Surfer Should Have `Ping' and `Traceroute'
    BOSTON -- Like everyone else, I often wait in frustrated
    anticipation for a Web page to appear on my computer screen. But I
    don't waste empty minutes playing electronic solitaire. I prefer the
    game called Figuring It Out. Why is my Internet connection so slow?
    Why is this particular Web site so sluggish?
- Nail in the coffin: Apple shuts down Cyberdog web site
    Apple has put the final bullet in its already unsupported Cyberdog
    technology by shutting down the all-in-one Internet technology's web
    site, leaving fans of the integrated package with few options for
    support and information.
- Virginia First Lady unveils website for teachers
    Virginia First Lady Roxanne Gilmore is a career educator.
    Monday, she unveiled a new tool designed to help Virginia Teachers do
    their jobs better with the new Standards of Learning (SOL).
- E-Mail Culture Goes to Court
    SAN FRANCISCO -- Once upon a time, workplace communication took
    place in two basic ways: water-cooler chatter and the official,
    signed and dated memorandum.
- EU Privacy Law is Awkward for US
    A new law designed to give Europeans more control over their
    personal data takes effect Friday amid a swirl of confusion about
    what exactly it will mean for business and consumers.
- New Lists and Journals
     * RHC@egroups.com is a discussion list for persons who have
       served with the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada,
       Regular and Reserve, their families and descendants.
     * NEW:PennsylvaniaFriends
     * NEW: Greater Toronto Area



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