Users sometimes want to know how accessible a certain site is and how long it takes to get to it. The "ping" command has traditionally been used for that, but there are problems using this utility. The difficulty is created by the way that some routers handle ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) packets. These routers give ICMP packets the lowest priority, so the round trip time displayed is highly questionable and variable. Some sites also disable "ping" to protect against Ping Flood attacks.
"Ping", (as well as "Tracert") utilize UDP packets, which do not establish a connection with the far end. Transit Time Tester uses TCP packets, which are initiated using a 3-way handshake. The client sends a SYN request, the server responds with a SYN-ACK, and the client completes the connection with an ACK. Transit Time Tester measures the time required to receive the SYN-ACK, and terminates the connection by forcing an error. It uses a cutdown version of NewSocket.cls/mWinsock.bas.
For the domain, you can use the domain name, the domain IP Address, or just copy and paste the URL. If the URL is used, the port is automatically adjusted to 80.
J.A. Coutts
"Ping", (as well as "Tracert") utilize UDP packets, which do not establish a connection with the far end. Transit Time Tester uses TCP packets, which are initiated using a 3-way handshake. The client sends a SYN request, the server responds with a SYN-ACK, and the client completes the connection with an ACK. Transit Time Tester measures the time required to receive the SYN-ACK, and terminates the connection by forcing an error. It uses a cutdown version of NewSocket.cls/mWinsock.bas.
For the domain, you can use the domain name, the domain IP Address, or just copy and paste the URL. If the URL is used, the port is automatically adjusted to 80.
J.A. Coutts
