What does the tracert command help determine?

The tracert command is a network diagnostic tool used to trace the path that packets take from a source device to a specified destination across a network. When executed, it sends a series of Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request messages to the target destination, incrementally increasing the time-to-live (TTL) value with each set of packets sent. As packets expire at each hop on the route, the router or device that the packet reaches sends back an ICMP Time Exceeded message to the source. This process allows tracert to display the list of each intermediate hop along the way, including the round-trip time for each.

By providing insights into each hop involved in the route, tracert assists network administrators or users in identifying routing issues, delays, or points of failure within the network path to the destination. This functionality makes it an essential tool for troubleshooting network connectivity problems and optimizing network performance.

In contrast, the other options relate to different networking functions. For instance, while Internet speed can be measured using specialized speed tests, it is not what tracert does. DNS server performance pertains to how efficiently a DNS server resolves domain names to IP addresses, which is unrelated to packet routing. Lastly, firewall configurations involve security settings that control incoming and