February 8, 2025
Linux Command Line

Linux Command Line

As a Linux user, it is essential to have a good understanding of the various command line tools available for troubleshooting network issues. One such tool is “tracepath,” which is used to trace the network path to a destination host. In this article, we will explore the usage and benefits of the tracepath command, as well as provide some examples of how it can be used.

What is the tracepath command?

The tracepath command is a utility that is used to trace the network path to a destination host. It is similar to the traceroute command, but it uses the ICMP protocol instead of UDP. The tracepath command is useful for troubleshooting network issues, such as determining the cause of slow network performance or identifying network bottlenecks.

When to use tracepath

Tracepath is useful when you need to troubleshoot network issues or identify the path that packets take to reach a destination host. It can also be used to determine if a specific hop or router is causing a problem, or if a specific link is congested. Additionally, tracepath can help to identify any MTU issues that may be causing problems with network performance.

How to use tracepath

The basic syntax of the tracepath command is as follows:

tracepath [options] destination

The destination can be either an IP address or a hostname. Some options that can be used with tracepath include:

  • -n : to display IP addresses instead of hostnames
  • -l : to specify the number of hops to be included in the trace
  • -b : to bind to a specific source IP address
  • -m : to specify the maximum number of hops to be included in the trace
  • -p : to specify the destination port number
  • -s : to specify the source port number
  • -w : to specify the amount of time (in seconds) to wait for a response before timing out
  • -4 : to force the use of IPv4
  • -6 : to force the use of IPv6
  • -h : to display the usage information and a list of options

Example usage of tracepath

  1. To trace the path to a destination host using IP addresses:
tracepath -n 8.8.8.8
  1. To trace the path to a destination host with a maximum of 30 hops:
tracepath -l 30 google.com
  1. This command will trace the path to a destination host “google.com” using IPv4, with a maximum of 20 hops and a wait time of 2 seconds.
tracepath -m 20 -w 2 -4 google.com

In this article, we have discussed the tracepath command and its usage in troubleshooting network issues on Linux systems. The tracepath command can be a useful tool for identifying network bottlenecks, slow network performance, and MTU issues. With the examples provided, you should now be able to use tracepath to trace the path to a destination host and understand the results it returns.

Please note that some of the options may not be available on all Linux distributions, and some other may be added as well depending on the version of the tracepath command you are using. It’s always recommended to check the man page of the command to know the available options and the syntax.
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