ip, ping & traceroute on Linux

Before you restart services, confirm the host has an IP, a default route, and basic reachability. ping, traceroute, and mtr are still the fastest checks operators search for daily.

Deeper config: nmcli and netplan,
DNS with dig, and
ss for listening ports.

Start With ip addr and ip route

Know your addresses and gateway before blaming applications.

bashsnapshot

ip -br addr
ip route show default

Link State

No carrier = cable/VLAN/cloud NIC issue.

bashlink

ip link show eth0

ping for Reachability

ICMP may be blocked on some paths — try gateway first, then external IP.

bashping

ping -c 4 192.168.1.1
ping -c 4 1.1.1.1

traceroute for Path

See where hops stop — useful for ISP or firewall issues.

bashtrace

traceroute -n 8.8.8.8 2>/dev/null | head -15

mtr for Loss and Latency

Combines ping and trace — install mtr if missing.

bashmtr report

mtr -rwzbc20 1.1.1.1

Name Fails but IP Works

Points to DNS, not routing — use dig/getent.

bashcompare

ping -c 2 example.com
ping -c 2 $(dig +short example.com | head -1)

Server-Side Checklist

Gateway ping, external ping, HTTP curl — narrows the break.

bashegress test

curl -sI --max-time 5 https://example.com/ | head -3

Quick Reference

ip route → ping gateway → ping internet
traceroute / mtr for path and loss
IP works, name fails → DNS (dig)

Linux Networking: ip, ping, traceroute and mtr (Troubleshooting Guide)