MTR (My Traceroute) is a network diagnostic tool that combines the functionality of the traceroute and ping programs in a single network diagnostic tool. This guide will walk you through how to use MTR to provide a traceroute.
Step 1: Install MTR
MTR may not be installed on your system by default. Here's how to install it:
On Ubuntu/Debian:
Open a terminal and type:
sudo apt-get install mtr
On CentOS/RHEL:
Open a terminal and type:
sudo yum install mtr
On macOS:
If you have Homebrew installed, open a terminal and type:
brew install mtr
Step 2: Run MTR
To run MTR, open a terminal and type:
mtr <hostname or IP address>
Replace <hostname or IP address> with the hostname or IP address you want to trace.
For example, if you wanted to trace the route to google.com, you would type:
mtr google.com
Step 3: Interpret the Results
MTR will start running and display a live updated report. Each line of the report represents a hop in the route. Here's what the columns mean:
- Host: The hostname and IP address of each hop.
- Loss%: The percentage of packet loss at each hop.
- Snt: The total number of packets sent to each hop.
- Last/Avg/Best/Wrst/StDev: These columns show various timing statistics for the packets sent to each hop.
Step 4: Provide the Traceroute
You'll need to stop MTR and copy the results to provide the traceroute. Press Ctrl+C to stop MTR. Then, select the text in the terminal and copy it. You can then paste this text into an email, a support ticket, or any other form of communication.
Remember, MTR provides a live, ongoing traceroute, so the longer you leave it running, the more accurate the results will be. It's recommended to let MTR run for a few minutes before stopping it and copying the results.