astraceroute - Linux

Overview

astraceroute is a command-line utility that performs advanced and comprehensive traceroute operations, providing detailed information about the network path and performance between you and a target host. It employs a combination of traditional traceroute and the modern AS-PATH hopping technique to gather comprehensive data.

Syntax

astraceroute [options] <target_host|IP address>

Options/Flags

• -a, –asn: Display ASN information for each hop.
• -d, –detail: Show detailed information about IP and AS hops.
• -f, –first: Only display the first AS for each hop.
• -h, –help: Display help and usage information.
• -i, –interface: Specify the network interface to use.
• -m, –max_hops: Limit the maximum number of hops to trace.
• -o, –output: Specify the output file path.
• -p, –port: Specify the destination port to trace to.
• -q, –quiet: Suppress non-essential output.
• -t, –ttl: Set the initial TTL value.
• -v, –verbose: Increase verbosity level.

Examples

Basic Usage:

Trace the route to example.com:

astraceroute example.com

Detailed Output with AS Information:

Display detailed information with ASN data:

astraceroute -d example.com

Limit Hop Count:

Trace the route with a maximum of 30 hops:

astraceroute -m 30 example.com

Output to File:

Save the trace results to a file:

astraceroute -o my_trace.txt example.com

Common Issues

• No route found: Ensure that the target host is reachable and that you have network connectivity.
• Permission denied: Run the command with elevated privileges (e.g., using sudo).
• Invalid IP address: Verify that the specified target IP address is valid.

Integration

Combine with Wireshark:

Capture and analyze network traffic related to the traceroute using Wireshark:

astraceroute -i interface | wireshark -r -

Use with traceroute:

Obtain raw traceroute data and process it with traceroute:

astraceroute -q target_host | traceroute -F -i -

Related Commands

• traceroute: Traditional traceroute utility.
• mtr: Multi-path traceroute tool.