What does the first phase of the pathping command do?

The first phase of the pathping command builds a mapping of the route to the destination. This phase is essential as it allows the command to determine the path that packets will take as they travel from the source to the destination. During this process, pathping sends packets to each router along the route to collect round-trip time statistics for each hop. This information is valuable for diagnosing network issues, as it can help identify which part of the route may be causing delays or packet loss.

In addition to building the route map, the overall output of the pathping command will include statistics on packet loss and latency, making it a useful tool for network troubleshooting. However, the initial action of mapping the route is fundamental to understanding how the packets traverse the network, making the correct choice clearly aligned with the function of pathping's first phase.