Question 1

How to install mtr on Windows?

Accepted Answer

Use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) with 'sudo apt-get install mtr' after setting up Ubuntu, or install Cygwin with specific packages like automake and gcc-core, as detailed in the README for traditional methods.

Question 2

Why does mtr need sudo to run?

Accepted Answer

mtr requires raw socket access to send ICMP packets, which is restricted to root users. The mtr-packet component is set suid-root for this purpose, as explained in the security notes.

Question 3

mtr vs traceroute: which is better for network troubleshooting?

Accepted Answer

mtr provides continuous, real-time statistics like ping, making it better for ongoing monitoring and identifying intermittent issues, while traceroute gives a one-time path snapshot. mtr is more comprehensive for live diagnostics.

Question 4

How to interpret packet loss in mtr output?

Accepted Answer

Packet loss percentage per hop indicates connectivity problems; high loss at a specific hop suggests issues with that router, while loss across all hops might point to local network or source problems. Real-time updates help pinpoint fluctuations.

Question 5

Can mtr use TCP instead of ICMP?

Accepted Answer

By default, mtr uses ICMP ECHO requests. Some forks or custom builds might add TCP support, but the standard version focuses on ICMP-based diagnostics, limiting protocol flexibility for specific use cases.

Question 6

How to save mtr results for later analysis?

Accepted Answer

Use output redirection like 'mtr example.com > log.txt', but note that interactive real-time display won't be captured. Check the man page for batch mode options or use tools like screen to capture sessions.

mtr

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