Extended Ping command "Loose, Strict, Record, Timestamp, Verbose[none]:" explanation needed

[Don Jacob]

One of my clients has a communication issue for an application installed on a server. He did an extended ping to the server to get the following response:

Core_6506#ping
Protocol [ip]:
Target IP address: 17.18.27.27
Repeat count [5]: 10
Extended commands [n]: y
Source address or interface:
Loose, Strict, Record, Timestamp, Verbose[none]: R
Sweep range of sizes [n]:
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 10, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 17.18.27.27, timeout is 2 seconds:
Packet has IP options:  Total option bytes= 39, padded length=40
Record route: <*>
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)

Reply to request 0 (32 ms).  Received packet has no options
Reply to request 1 (16 ms).  Received packet has no options
Reply to request 2 (20 ms).  Received packet has no options
Reply to request 3 (16 ms).  Received packet has no options
Reply to request 4 (16 ms).  Received packet has no options
Reply to request 5 (12 ms).  Received packet has no options
Reply to request 6 (12 ms).  Received packet has no options
Reply to request 7 (24 ms).  Received packet has no options
Reply to request 8 (20 ms).  Received packet has no options
Reply to request 9 (12 ms).  Received packet has no options
Success rate is 100 percent (10/10), round-trip min/avg/max = 12/18/32 ms

The same type of response was found from 2 servers running the same application in 2 different locations. Now a ping was done to another server (which did not have the application running) and the response was as below:

Core_6506#ping
Protocol [ip]:
Target IP address: 17.19.16.16
Repeat count [5]: 10
Extended commands [n]: y
Loose, Strict, Record, Timestamp, Verbose[none]: R
Sweep range of sizes [n]:
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 10, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 17.19.16.16, timeout is 2 seconds:
Packet has IP options:  Total option bytes= 39, padded length=40
Record route: <*>
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)
   (0.0.0.0)

Reply to request 0 (24 ms).  Received  packet has options
Total option bytes= 40, padded length=40
Record route:
   (17.18.21.25)
   (32.38.19.22)
   (17.18.24.24)
   (12.29.16.253)
   (17.19.16.16)
   (12.18.26.253)
   (32.38.19.12)
   (17.18.21.250)
   (17.18.21.25)
   <*>
End of list

* The IP Address all have been changed.

My questions are:

1. The meaning of 'Options' being specified or referred to here.

2. The meaning of  'Received packet has no options' and 'Received  packet has options'.

3. Possible reasons for this

Looking forward to any update.

Regards,

Don Thomas

[Joe Clarke · Accepted solution]

The Options are the IP header options.  In this case, the ICMP echo request goes out with the Record Route option.  This option allows up to nine hops to record their IP in the packet header.  If the packet which comes back no longer contains the option (i.e. the destination OS chose not to include it), then you would see the message you are seeing.  I'm not sure what effect this application would have, but typically it is the kernel or a firewall module which would determine if this option is set in the echo reply IP header.

[Don Jacob]

Thank you very much Joe. That really helps.

Regards,

Don Thomas