Fun with Traceroutes: A New Hope

At its core, a traceroute describes how information flows between one server/computer and another server/computer. Packets of data will not travel to a destination without traversing through several switches and routers that direct the data along the ideal path to and from it’s destination. A traceroute identifies each switch and router within the path and the length of time it takes for the packet of data to reach each node.

Windows: Click start and type in “CMD” to open command prompt. Then type in “tracert (IP address or www.domainname.whatever)” and press enter.

MAC: Click – Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal – to open command prompt. Then type in “tracert (IP address or www.domainname.whatever)” and press enter.

With this knowledge in hand, a friend turned me onto THE STAR WARS TRACEROUTE…

Trace route IP address: 216.81.59.173
Tracing route to 216.81.59.173 over a maximum of 30 hops

…
9 117 ms 117 ms 123 ms epik-networks-gw.ip4.tinet.net [77.67.69.158]
10 113 ms 110 ms 105 ms 216.81.59.2
11 * Request timed out.
12 162 ms 142 ms 181 ms Episode.IV [206.214.251.1]
13 147 ms 143 ms 142 ms A.NEW.HOPE [206.214.251.6]
14 143 ms 177 ms 144 ms It.is.a.period.of.civil.war [206.214.251.9]
15 151 ms 166 ms 158 ms Rebel.spaceships [206.214.251.14]
16 149 ms 167 ms 144 ms striking.from.a.hidden.base [206.214.251.17]
17 143 ms 149 ms 169 ms have.won.their.first.victory [206.214.251.22]
18 152 ms 207 ms 205 ms against.the.evil.Galactic.Empire [206.214.251.25]
19 149 ms 160 ms 310 ms During.the.battle [206.214.251.30]
20 329 ms 205 ms 394 ms Rebel.spies.managed [206.214.251.33]
21 142 ms 148 ms 144 ms to.steal.secret.plans [206.214.251.38]
22 222 ms 198 ms 185 ms to.the.Empires.ultimate.weapon [206.214.251.41]

23 144 ms 145 ms 150 ms the.DEATH.STAR [206.214.251.46]
24 144 ms 162 ms 155 ms an.armored.space.station [206.214.251.49]
25 145 ms 264 ms 269 ms with.enough.power.to [206.214.251.54]
26 157 ms 187 ms 145 ms destroy.an.entire.planet [206.214.251.57]
27 173 ms 182 ms 145 ms Pursued.by.the.Empires [206.214.251.62]
28 190 ms 144 ms 193 ms sinister.agents [206.214.251.65]
29 145 ms 143 ms 161 ms Princess.Leia.races.home [206.214.251.70]
30 151 ms 183 ms 160 ms aboard.her.starship [206.214.251.73]

Big thanks to Jason De Arman at C7 Data Centers for this geeky gem!