Traceroute / Ping

Traceroute
 Traceroute has default TTL of 30.
 Steps performed when traceroute is executed:
o Sends 3 packets with TTL=1 to first-hop router. FH router responds with time-exceeded (ICMP Type-
11).
o In response sends 3 packets with TTL=2 to FH router, second-hop router responds with TTL message.
o Continues until packets arrive at destination, last-hop router responds with unreachable (ICMP Type-
3).
o The LH router sends back a unreachable message because the destination is an unreachable port.

Traceroute Output
The * means that ICMP rate limit is enabled at the last-hop router. The default timeout is 500 msec.
 The reason only the LH router shows this is because intermediate routers send a time exceeded TTL message.
 The second traceroute packet usually times out because that one is within the 500 msec interval, the third
packet is not.
 The same applies to ping with U.U.U output, the 1st message is sent back as unreachable by the LH router. The
2nd times out because it is within the 500 msec interval, the 3rd is unreachable again and so on...

ip icmp rate-limit unreachable 500

show ip icmp rate-limit

Traceroute Responses
* The probe timed out

A Administratively prohibited (ACL)

U Port unreachable

H Host unreachable

N Network unreachable

Ping
 Time exceeded on ping means TTL expired (ICMP Type-11). This is used in traceroute.
 Specify how often ICMP unreachable messages are sent to neighbors with the ip icmp rate-limit unreachable
command.
 ICMP redirect messages are used to notify hosts that a better route (other router) is available for a particular
destination.
 The kernel is configured to send redirects by default. Disable with the interface command no ip redirects.

Cisco routers send ICMP redirects when all of these conditions are met:
 The ingress interface is the same as the egress interface of the packet.
 The source is on the same subnet as the better next-hop.
 The source does not use source-routing.

ICMP types
0 Echo Reply

3 Destination Unreachable

5 Redirect

8 Echo
 11 Time Exceeded (TTL)

ICMP Responses
! Reply

. Timed Out

U Destination Unreachable