How do I run an MTR on a Windows server?

To run a MTR on a Windows device, you will first need to download a Windows compatible program, capable of running an MTR. The most common piece of software used to run an MTR on a Windows device is WinMTR; you can download this software from WinMTR’s website:

http://winmtr.net/download-winmtr/

Once you are on the WinMTR website, press download on the appropriate version of the software. A .zip file will now download; you will then need to extract all the files from this zip folder. Then locate the appropriate version of the software’s file (x32 Vs x64) and run the WinMTR.exe file. The WinMTR program will now launch.

You now need to enter the IP address of the destination device in the Host text box. Once you have entered the destination device’s IP address, press Start. What the destination device is depends on what problem you are experiencing and trying to diagnose. If you are experiencing packet loss or if there is a routing issue between two devices, you will need enter the IP address of the other device. In my example, I am running a MTR from one of my servers to another, as I believe that there may be packet loss between the two servers.

The MTR should send roughly one packet per second. You can see how many packets have been sent from the host you are running the MTR on in the top row, in-line with the host’s IP, under the sent column.

Once the MTR has sent 1000 packets, you can use the results to identify where the issue lies. We require at least 1000 packets to be sent to make sure the result are accurate.

If you are checking for packet loss, you can use the Loss% column to identify the percentage of packets lost within this hop, and you can use the Host column in line with the Loss% column to identify where the packet loss began. If you are checking for a routing issue, you can use the Host column to identify the path the route has taken.

Once the MTR has sent 1000 packets, you should copy the entire MTR table and paste it into a word document. If you do identify an issue, you will need these results later. To copy the table, simply press the Copy Text to clipboard button.

You can see an example of a copied table below.

|	WinMTR statistics	|
|	Host	-	%	|	Sent	|	Recv	|	Best	|	Avrg	|	Wrst	|	Last	|
|																|
|	□0. □4. □. □□□	-	0	|	1137	|	1137	|	0	|	4	|	152	|	0	|
|	593.core2.thn.as20860.net	-	0	|	1136	|	1136	|	1	|	7	|	287	|	9	|
|	300.asr2.dc2.as20860.net	-	0	|	1137	|	1137	|	1	|	2	|	59	|	2	|
|	□0. □53. □. □□	-	0	|	1137	|	1137	|	1	|	7	|	238	|	1	|
|	542.core1.dc2.as20860.net	-	2	|	1086	|	1073	|	1	|	9	|	344	|	2	|
|	303.asr2.dc2.as20860.net	-	0	|	1137	|	1137	|	2	|	4	|	74	|	3	|
|	300.core2.thn.as20860.net	-	0	|	1137	|	1137	|	2	|	10	|	286	|	4	|
|	593.net1.north.dc5.as20860.net	-	1	|	1132	|	1131	|	2	|	9	|	145	|	2	|
|	po2-30.bor2.dc5.as20860.net	-	0	|	1137	|	1137	|	2	|	4	|	78	|	3	|
|	e1-42.lea102.1uf.dc5.as20860.net	-	0	|	1137	|	1137	|	2	|	4	|	76	|	3	|
|	□8. □29. □18. □□	-	0	|	1137	|	1137	|	2	|	4	|	76	|	3	|
|	□8. □29. □18. □□	-	0	|	1137	|	1137	|	2	|	4	|	78	|	3	|

Once you have finished running the MTR on this device and copied the table, press the Stop button or simply close the window.

You should now run the MTR on the destination device, to the device you just ran the MTR on above, then copy the table (reverse direction). If you do discover any issues that lie within our network, please supply both MTRs in a support ticket and our team will investigate this issue.

If you have any more questions about MTRs, please look through our FAQ section, or raise a support ticket and we will be happy to help.