Do Ping and TCP Really Follow the Same Route? Exploring ECMP and Routing Mechanics

This article explains why ping and TCP may travel different network paths, covering router behavior, routing tables, OSPF, Dijkstra's algorithm, ECMP, five‑tuple hashing, packet reordering, and practical troubleshooting techniques such as traceroute and nc.

ECMPOSPFTCP

0 likes · 14 min read

Do Ping and TCP Really Follow the Same Route? Exploring ECMP and Routing Mechanics

Liangxu Linux

Sep 1, 2022 · Fundamentals

Why Ping and TCP May Take Different Paths – Understanding ECMP and Routing

Although ping and TCP both rely on IP, they can follow different network routes due to routing protocols, equal‑cost multi‑path (ECMP) decisions, and five‑tuple hashing, which explains why a host may be reachable by ping but occasionally fail to establish a TCP connection.

ECMPOSPFTCP

0 likes · 15 min read

Why Ping and TCP May Take Different Paths – Understanding ECMP and Routing