The VM Network?

[4motions]

This is probably a really daft question, but one that I just cant understand

Im living in the lisburn (lisb) region, not sure what UBR that is? Anyway

Depending on the time of day, I notice that when I tracert the same website such as google.co.uk. The route in which it takes differs.

For example, earlier today the route was:

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>tracert www.google.co.uk

Tracing route to www.l.google.com [209.85.229.104]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 10.0.0.1
2 10 ms 7 ms 7 ms lisb-cmts-03-lback-20.network.virginmedia.net
3 9 ms 7 ms 35 ms belf-t3core-1a-ge-200-1624.network.virginmedia.n
et [213.105.207.69]
4 18 ms 15 ms 15 ms lee-bb-a-xe-701-0.network.virginmedia.net [212.4
3.162.158]
5 18 ms 15 ms 15 ms man-bb-b-as3-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.105.
175.142]
6 24 ms 23 ms 23 ms tele-ic-3-ae0-0.network.virginmedia.net [212.43.
163.70]
7 24 ms 23 ms 23 ms 162-14-250-212.static.virginmedia.com [212.250.1
4.162]
8 25 ms 23 ms 23 ms 209.85.255.175
9 32 ms 31 ms 31 ms 66.249.95.170
10 34 ms 31 ms 31 ms 209.85.251.231
11 53 ms 35 ms 35 ms 209.85.243.85
12 31 ms 31 ms 31 ms ww-in-f104.google.com [209.85.229.104]

Trace complete.

However, it then changed whereby after the Belfast (Belf) hop it then went through Dublin.

Is it normal for the route to change like this so frequently? I only picked up on it after noticing that going through dublin is slower than other routes.

Just curious to know what way the VM network is setup

Thanks

[Jon T]

Networks like VM's will have multiple network paths to get from point A to point B. That way if the shortest path between nodes is either down or congested, the data will still get through. It does this by utilising routing protocols (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Routing_protocol).

What you're seeing back this up, the routers on VM's network are seing that your normal route is either down or much slower than normal and alternating the routing to use the route through Dublin.

I expect some additions to my post, probably by broadbandings.