A method and a related apparatus for probing a packet forwarding path, so that a packet forwarding path between any two devices can be probed is presented. A controller determines a source device and a destination device, where there is at least one intermediate device between the source device and the destination device; the controller sends an Internet Protocol (IP) packet that includes a probe identifier to the source device; the controller receives a first message sent by the destination device and a second message sent by the intermediate device; the controller determines a forwarding path of the IP packet according to the IP packet and a first inbound interface identifier that are sent by the destination device, the IP packet and a second inbound interface identifier that are sent by the intermediate device, and a network topology.