MTR: How to quickly find a network problem in Linux

MTR combines checks from traceroute and ping: shows the chain of nodes to the target and simultaneously measures delays/packet losses at each step. Below is a short action plan: installation and some of the most useful launches.

Installation

Use your system’s package manager.

Debian/Ubuntu:

apt-get install mtr

CentOS:

yum install mtr

Basic launch

Let’s check the path and quality of the channel to the selected domain or IP:

mtr google.com

An interactive screen will open with hops, RTTs and losses. Leave it for a couple of minutes — the statistics will become more stable.

Showing IP addresses without DNS resolution

To avoid waiting for reverse DNS and see “clean” addresses, add the -n switch:

mtr -n google.com

Check TCP or UDP instead of ICMP

If the firewall cuts ICMP, use alternative packet types:

TCP SYN:

mtr --tcp google.com

UDP:

mtr --udp google.com

Reporting mode and fixed number of packets

Do you need not an interactive screen, but a ready-made report? Collect N packages and output the result to the console:

mtr -r -n -c 100 google.com

Where:

• -r — report mode (prints the summary and exits);
• -n — displays IP without reverse DNS;
• -c 100 — number of packets sent for statistics.

These examples are enough to quickly diagnose a route failure, understand on which hop delays are increasing, and prepare a clear report for colleagues or the provider.

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