Switches don't show up with tracert, nmap etc, why?

I've noticed from using trecert and similar network tools the unmanaged type of switch don't show up as hops in the route. I would have though there would be some mention of it. Say, for example, you were using these tools to physically track down some hardware, if your network has several switches between you and what you want to find. Do they have MAC address?
Is there any tool that will allow these type of devices to show up in a search?

yes they have mac addresses and often times the have IP's as well. Some unmanaged ones even allow TTY connections or ssh/telnet connections as well.

Hops are only counted from router to router or across different networks

EDIT:
Home users are less likely to have the need for such a tool and usually (I work with cisco equipment) the tools are built into the firmware. Cisco has several different commands that show both routers/switches/hubs as well as computers

There isn't a limit on the number of devices you can have on a home network, in theory anyway. You could take a simple cheap Linksys router, go to the web interface and configure a 10.0.0.0/8 network and daisy chain a ton of unmanaged switches to fill that network. It would be an absolute nightmare, but in theory it would be possible.

The simple reason a switch doesn't show up in your tracert is that it most likely doesn't have an IP. Tracert works on layer three, switches are layer two. My home network uses a layer three switch and it is reported when I do a tracert.

At home here I have a simple Netgear switch and it doesn't show up. At work they have a few 3com switches and none for them show.
I can understand why there is no need for it to show as there are no settings accessible by the user only in the factory.

Anyway, it was just something I was thinking about.

ErikD said:

There isn't a limit on the number of devices you can have on a home network, in theory anyway. You could take a simple cheap Linksys router, go to the web interface and configure a 10.0.0.0/8 network and daisy chain a ton of unmanaged switches to fill that network. It would be an absolute nightmare, but in theory it would be possible.

The simple reason a switch doesn't show up in your tracert is that it most likely doesn't have an IP. Tracert works on layer three, switches are layer two. My home network uses a layer three switch and it is reported when I do a tracert.

Click to expand...

Technically you are right about the number of devices on a home network. However, and this is my fault for being unclear I was meaning the difference between a home and a domain (though my numbers were way off I dusted off the old text book). But After that self-correction I digress

I also have a layer 3 switch here at home that has an IP and it does not show up on a trace route. That was why I thought perhaps its related to the firmware/OS on the device itself. Mine is just a crappy Dlink anyways

Stratus_ss said:

Technically you are right about the number of devices on a home network. However, and this is my fault for being unclear I was meaning the difference between a home and a domain (though my numbers were way off I dusted off the old text book). But After that self-correction I digress

I also have a layer 3 switch here at home that has an IP and it does not show up on a trace route. That was why I thought perhaps its related to the firmware/OS on the device itself. Mine is just a crappy Dlink anyways

Click to expand...

Domain vs. workgroup is more for OS management and such than network. The point however is valid that at a certain point there comes a need to breakup your network into more manageable chunks with subnets, usually having less than 254 (old school class C) hosts per.

As for if it shows up or not it would depend on how it is configured. If the IP is setup as a management access only similar to a managed layer two device then it won't. However I have my network split into a few different VLANs and subnets, so the switch needs to pop up as a hop as it also acts as a layer three device routing that traffic.