In Microsoft Windows, which command corresponds to the Cisco traceroute command by displaying the sequence of routers (hops) traversed on the way to a network destination?

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your familiarity with troubleshooting tools across different operating systems. Network engineers often move between Cisco IOS and Windows environments, so knowing the equivalent commands for common tasks such as path tracing is important for diagnosing connectivity problems.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- On Cisco routers and many Unix based systems, the traceroute command is used to discover the path packets take to a given destination.
- On Windows, there is a similar utility that performs this function.
- The question asks for the Windows command that serves as the functional counterpart to traceroute on Cisco IOS.

Concept / Approach:
The Cisco traceroute command works by sending probe packets with increasing Time To Live values and listening to ICMP Time Exceeded responses, revealing each router hop along the way. Windows includes a command line tool called tracert that uses a similar mechanism. While the spelling is slightly different, the behavior and purpose align closely, making tracert the Windows version of traceroute.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that traceroute is the generic name of the tool on many platforms, including Cisco IOS and Linux.Step 2: Remember that on Windows, the path tracing tool is named tracert, which is short for trace route.Step 3: Recognize that typing tracert followed by a hostname or IP address shows each hop along the path, similar to traceroute on Cisco.Step 4: Note that other Windows commands like ping and arp serve different diagnostic purposes and do not list the sequence of intermediate routers.Step 5: Select tracert as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
On a Windows system, you can run tracert www.example.com and observe the output. It will show each hop, including the router IP addresses and round trip times. This is conceptually identical to running traceroute on a Cisco router. This behavior confirms that tracert is indeed the Windows equivalent.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The ping command tests basic connectivity by sending ICMP echo requests but does not reveal intermediate hops. The traceroute command name is not recognized on standard Windows command prompts, although some third party tools might provide it. The arp command manages IP to MAC address mappings and does not test paths through the network. Pathping is another Windows tool that combines ping and tracing functionality, but the direct, classic counterpart to traceroute is tracert, which exams usually expect.

Common Pitfalls:
One pitfall is to assume that Windows uses exactly the same command name as Cisco and Unix, which is not the case. Another is to confuse tracert with pathping; while both can show path related information, tracert is the more direct analogy to traceroute. Remembering the slight change in spelling from traceroute to tracert is enough to answer this kind of question quickly.

Final Answer:
The Windows command that corresponds to Cisco's traceroute is tracert.