Look at my tracert! need help

[Wichard20]

This is my tracert to yahoo and below is to speedguide.net...I'am on Road Runner in Vienna, VA....I use a linksys 4 port router...werid how hop 1....sometimes hop 1 gives me the ping of 10.28.192.9 which I thought was weird....right now it says request timed out

1 * * * Request timed out.
2 164 ms 69 ms 14 ms ffaxvamf-7507-fe610.cox.rr.com [24.28.192.225]
3 13 ms 14 ms 124 ms hrdnva-rdc-gsr1-pos52.cox.rr.com [24.30.192.37]

4 274 ms 97 ms 206 ms iar2-sonet2-3-0-0.Restonrst.cw.net [208.173.155.
89]
5 69 ms 123 ms 14 ms acr2-loopback.Restonrst.cw.net [206.24.178.62]
6 42 ms 41 ms 96 ms pos6-2.core1.Washington1.Level3.net [209.244.219
.149]
7 96 ms 55 ms 82 ms so-5-0-0.mp2.Washington1.Level3.net [209.247.10.
73]
8 192 ms 179 ms 178 ms so-2-0-0.mp2.SanJose1.Level3.net [64.159.0.218]

9 206 ms 234 ms 165 ms pos9-0.core2.SanJose1.Level3.net [209.247.11.14]

10 96 ms 192 ms 179 ms gigabitethernet10-1.ipcolo4.SanJose1.Level3.net
[64.159.2.106]
11 206 ms 164 ms 138 ms cust-int.level3.net [64.152.69.18]
12 124 ms 96 ms 192 ms ge-1-2-0.msr2.pao.yahoo.com [216.115.100.154]
13 110 ms 192 ms 165 ms vlan29.bas2-m.snv.yahoo.com [216.115.100.126]
14 206 ms 192 ms 110 ms www2.yahoo.com [204.71.200.67]

Trace complete.

1 * * * Request timed out.
2 151 ms 68 ms 110 ms ffaxvamf-7513-fe810.cox.rr.com [24.28.192.229]
3 137 ms 69 ms 165 ms hrdnva-rdc-gsr2-pos02.cox.rr.com [24.30.192.41]

4 192 ms 69 ms 123 ms hrdnva-rdc-gsr1-pos10.cox.rr.com [24.30.192.26]

5 68 ms 55 ms 28 ms iar2-sonet2-3-0-0.Restonrst.cw.net [208.173.155.
89]
6 261 ms 68 ms 14 ms acr1-loopback.Restonrst.cw.net [206.24.178.61]
7 42 ms 219 ms 69 ms cable-and-wireless-peering.Restonrst.cw.net [206
.24.179.214]
8 14 ms 27 ms 14 ms ge-3-1.c00.stngva01.us.ah.vwh.net [129.250.27.21
6]
9 123 ms 275 ms 13 ms 161.58.156.173
10 28 ms 13 ms 83 ms 161.58.189.81

Trace complete.

[onetrueday]

I really dont understand how those tracert's can be completed. The first stop is your gateway, which according to my understand is needed to get online at all. This is what I would do. Run the test again and find out what your gateway IP address is. Then, whenever you have trouble getting online; quick run a 'ping' to that IP address. If you get a timeout, then type in time and enter. copy and paste this into a .doc file and expand on it. If, after a couple of days you're still having problems and have quite a few entries; then call your ISP provider and complain. Offer to email them the proof.

[onetrueday]

What is a DNS server exactly. I know what a dhcp server is and a gateway and a wealth of other terms; but i'm lost on that one. Part of my question has to do with if I were to switch my primary and alt. dns servers, would I gain more speed?

[tomsykes]

No, do NOT email the ISP with timeouts on the first hop. This does NOT neccessarily indicate a problem, ISP's often disable ping replies on devices, and additionally, you may be address translated onto private address space and then back off again, so pinging can be unlikely.

There may be an issue between the cable router (the first hop) and the Cisco 7507 used in the 2nd hop. Call your ISP.


As for onetrueday, you should use a DNS server which is located closest to you - this will typically reduce latency in DNS lookups.