How to ping and trace

When your website or server isn't loading for you or your visitors, the first step is to figure out where the problem lies: on our side (server/network), somewhere in the routing, at your ISP, or just locally for certain users.

What ping and traceroute actually tell you

Ping is the quickest way to check if a server is reachable and how fast it responds. Your computer sends small packets to the target (domain or IP) and waits for them to come back.
Key things to look at:

• Response time (in milliseconds — lower is better)
• Packet loss (ideally 0%; anything above 1–2% is already a red flag)

Ping only confirms basic reachability and latency — it doesn't show why something might be slow or broken.

Traceroute (tracert on Windows) maps the full path your data takes from your device to the server. It lists every hop (router or gateway) along the way and shows the time each one takes to reply.
If you see many asterisks (*) or very high latency on a hop — that's where the issue usually is: routing failure, congestion, or a block.
Traceroute turns "it's not working" into "here's exactly where it's breaking" — which speeds up troubleshooting a lot.

Recommended ways to test

1. Using built-in Windows tools (ping and tracert)

These are available on every Windows version — no downloads needed.

1. Press Win + R, type cmd, and hit Enter to open Command Prompt.
2. Run a ping test:

ping your-domain.com

or

ping SERVER_IP

For best results, test our Looking Glass servers in different locations:

• Germany: de-lg.fornex.host
• Netherlands: nl-lg.fornex.host
• Switzerland: ch-lg.fornex.host
• Sweden: se-lg.fornex.host
• USA: us-lg.fornex.host
• Spain: es-lg.fornex.host

3. Wait for it to finish (default: 4 packets).
   Good result: consistent <100 ms latency with 0% loss.

Successful ping output

4. Run a traceroute:

tracert your-domain.com

or

tracert SERVER_IP

Wait for completion (10–30 seconds).
It shows every hop from your machine to the destination.

Typical tracert output

How to copy the results:

• Highlight the text in the cmd window with your mouse
• Right-click → it auto-copies to clipboard
• Paste into your support ticket (Ctrl+V)

2. Using our Looking Glass servers (easiest and most informative)

We run our own Looking Glass nodes in multiple locations for ping, traceroute, MTR, speed tests, and more.

Visit the LG page for your preferred location:

• Germany: de-lg.fornex.host
• Netherlands: nl-lg.fornex.host
• Switzerland: ch-lg.fornex.host
• Sweden: se-lg.fornex.host
• USA: us-lg.fornex.host
• Spain: es-lg.fornex.host

1. Enter your server's IP address or domain.
2. Select the test type (Ping, Traceroute, MTR, Speedtest, etc.).
3. Click Run Test.
4. Copy the full output or take a screenshot.

Selecting location and test type

Example of a completed test

What to do next

If the site/server is down from most locations:

• Open a ticket in support
• Include:
• Your website URL / server IP
• Links or screenshots from multiple LG locations
• When the issue started and how it appears (blank page, 502/504, timeout, etc.)

We'll check routing, server config, firewall rules, and resolve it quickly.

If it's only down for you or some users:

• Test your own IP on the same tools — it could be an ISP block or local issue.
• Try via VPN, mobile data, or a different network.

Quick tips

• Ping shows latency and packet loss (anything >1–2% loss is a problem).
• Traceroute reveals the exact hop where packets stop or slow down (asterisks * = unresponsive node).
• MTR combines ping + traceroute in real time — very useful for intermittent issues.
• Slow but responding site? Check TTFB (Time To First Byte) and total load time.
• DDoS protection or strict firewalls can block certain IPs — this shows up clearly in multi-location tests.