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mtr Command on Linux: Network Diagnostics (Better Than ping + traceroute)

· dinesh
mtr command linux - custom-mtr-featured.png

mtr on Linux combines ping and traceroute into one live view — each row is a router hop with loss and latency stats. It is a common search when latency spikes but ping to the destination looks fine (problem may be mid-path).

Basics: ping & traceroute,
dig DNS,
ss command.

Install mtr

Debian/Ubuntu often package mtr-tiny; full mtr on RHEL as well.

bashinstall
sudo apt install -y mtr
mtr --version
apt install mtr
package

Interactive vs report

Interactive mode updates continuously; batch mode prints a report for tickets.

bashreport 50 pings
mtr -rwzbc 50 1.1.1.1
mtr host
report

Read the columns

High loss on an intermediate hop may be ICMP rate-limiting — look for loss that propagates to later hops.

loss
latency

When to escalate

Capture mtr from both ends if possible; pair with tcpdump on your side for app issues.

WarningSome networks deprioritize ICMP — a clean mtr does not guarantee TCP performance; use iperf3 for throughput.
ISP ticket
evidence

Quick Reference

  • Quick check: mtr hostname
  • Report: mtr -rwzbc N host
  • Compare with traceroute if mtr unavailable

Related tutorials

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