--- name: azion-trace-the-route-to-a-host description: >- Trace the network path from your computer to an Edge DNS nameserver with traceroute or tracert, and read each hop before you share it with Azion support. --- # Trace the route to a host You can trace the route from your computer to an [Edge DNS](/en/documentation/platform/edge-dns/) nameserver with `traceroute` on macOS and Linux, or `tracert` on Windows. The trace lists each network hop the packets cross, so Azion support can see where traffic to the nameserver slows down or stops. To check which records a zone answers instead, refer to [Query a zone with dig](/en/documentation/guides/application-security/dns/run-the-dig-command/). --- ## Prerequisites - A host to trace. For Edge DNS, trace one of Azion's nameservers: `ns1.aziondns.net`, `ns2.aziondns.com`, or `ns3.aziondns.org`. The commands on this page use `ns1.aziondns.net`. - On Linux, the `traceroute` package. Refer to [Install traceroute on Linux](#install-traceroute-on-linux). --- ## Install traceroute on Linux macOS includes `traceroute`, and Windows uses `tracert`, so this step applies to Linux only. The install command depends on the distribution. On Red Hat or CentOS, install the package with `yum`: ```bash sudo yum install traceroute -y ``` On Ubuntu or Debian, update the package list, then install the package with `apt-get`: ```bash sudo apt-get update -y sudo apt-get install traceroute ``` The `traceroute` command is then available in the terminal. --- ## Trace the route on Windows Windows runs the trace from the command window with `tracert`. To trace the route to the nameserver on Windows: 1. **Open the command window** Press the Windows key and R. 2. **Start the command prompt** Enter `cmd` and select **OK**. 3. **Run tracert** At the command prompt, enter `tracert ns1.aziondns.net` and press Enter. The result of the trace appears in the command window. To interpret it, refer to [Read the output](#read-the-output). --- ## Trace the route on macOS or Linux On macOS, open **Terminal**. On Linux, open a terminal. Then run `traceroute` with the host: ```bash traceroute ns1.aziondns.net ``` The command prints a header line, then one line for each hop. To interpret it, refer to [Read the output](#read-the-output). --- ## Read the output This example runs `traceroute` on macOS with `-m 6`, which stops the trace after six hops, and `-q 1`, which sends one probe per hop. Each address of a hop on your network appears as ``: ```bash traceroute -m 6 -w 2 -q 1 ns1.aziondns.net ``` ```text traceroute to ns1.aziondns.net (179.191.160.2), 6 hops max, 40 byte packets 1 () 4.464 ms 2 () 6.936 ms 3 () 6.223 ms 4 () 20.735 ms 5 * 6 () 35.464 ms ``` Read the output line by line: - **The header** names the host, the address it resolved to, the hop limit, and the size of each probe packet. - **Each hop line** shows the hop number, the name and address of the hop, and the round-trip time in milliseconds. With `-q 1`, each line shows one time. - **A `*`** replaces a hop that does not answer. The trace continues to the next hop, so a later hop can still answer. With `-m 6`, the trace stops at hop 6 whether or not it reaches the nameserver. --- ## Share the trace with Azion support Copy the complete output, header included, into your request to Azion support. The header tells support which address your computer resolved for the nameserver. To open a request, refer to [Support](/en/documentation/support/). --- ## Next steps - [Query a zone with dig](/en/documentation/guides/application-security/dns/run-the-dig-command.md): Check which records a nameserver answers for your zone. - [Troubleshoot Edge DNS](/en/documentation/platform/edge-dns/troubleshooting.md): Find the fix for a zone that does not answer as expected. - [How Edge DNS works](/en/documentation/platform/edge-dns/how-it-works.md#the-resolution-path): See how a query reaches Azion's nameservers.