I can't reach my site, but other people seem to view it fine.

This is a common occurance due to the fact the internet uses many interconnected networks as pipelines for your data. If one network goes down, it can make part of the Internet unreachable to you, although it is still reachable by others. On top of all that, the hiccups that you experience may even be transient. This could mean that you wouldn't be able to connect at different intervals in the day. (Note: AZC doesn't control your internet connection. In cases like these you will want to call your Internet access provider to see when the problem will go away. Later on, you may wish to review your site's access logs to see whether the hiccups caused any singificant disruption of your Web presence.)

Multiple information channels don't just apply for connecting to your site. Downloads also use multiple paths. In fact, data files that are transmitted over the internet are broken up in different bits and pieces and each of these pieces could travel a separate route before reaching your computer. For example, if you live in the Los Angeles area, and your ISP is GTE, your data will often first travel a thousand miles east to Dallas, TX and than be routed back to your AZC server in California. So, instead of travelling 400 miles straight north, your data actually does a leisurely detour of more than 2000 miles. In fact, when you consider all of this, it is a miracle that the Internet works as well as it does.

To find out if your data is held up in an internet traffic jam, you can do a traceroute test. If you are a Windows XP/2000 user, you can find this under the Start menu in PROGRAMS>ACCESSORIES. While you are connected to the internet, open a command prompt window and type the following:

The tracerroute will list all the "hops" that the data takes to travel between your computer and AZC, where your site is stored. You will see a number of response times, and may also see a * symbol indicating the node or network where your data is being held up.

A similar procedure exist for Macintosh users.

In addition, to check the visibility of your Web site through the web, use either NetMechanic or OptiView Web Acceleration

There are also a number of sites that show traffic conditions on the major networks and nodes on the Internet.

• Keynote Internet Health Report,
• Internet Traffic Report

Remember, though the above reports may indicate that your network is clear and free, your data may travel on other networks as well, and these may be busy. So, always do a traceroute first to determine what networks and nodes your data travels through.

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