Overview

The Atatus Infra Agent continuously performs traceroute-based network path tests and collects:

  • Hop-level latency
  • Reachability
  • DNS resolution for intermediate hops
  • Protocol behavior (TCP, UDP, ICMP)
  • End-to-end (E2E) latency

Each path test is defined as a networkpath block under the metrics: section.

When Network Path Monitoring is enabled, each test:

  • Executes periodic traceroutes to the target endpoint
  • Measures and maps the full path between the source and destination
  • Identifies slow hops, packet loss, or asymmetric routes
  • Detects BGP or ISP routing changes over time

Requirements

Component Requirement
Agent atatus-infra-agent
Version 4.2.0 or higher
Feature Network Path Monitoring
Supported Protocols TCP, UDP, ICMP
OS Support Linux, Windows (driver optional)

Configuration File

All Network Path tests live under: /etc/atatus-infra-agent/conf.d/networkpath.d/networkpath.yml

Configuration Structure

Here is the full configuration block you provided, documented as an official guide:

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metrics:
  # NETWORK PATH TRACEROUTE TESTS
  # Add multiple tests by repeating a `networkpath:` block

  - enabled: true
    networkpath:
      # Target destination
      dest_hostname: "www.example.com"       # Target hostname or IP
      dest_port: 443                         # Target TCP/UDP port
      destination_service: "example-service" # Logical name for UI/labels

      # Source metadata (optional)
      source_service: "atatus-infra-agent"   # Local service name
      source_container_id: ""                # If running inside container

      # Traceroute protocol
      protocol: "tcp"        # Options: tcp | udp | icmp
      tcp_method: "syn"      # Options: syn | sack | prefer_sack | syn_socket

      # Traceroute parameters
      max_ttl: 30            # Max hops allowed
      timeout: 2s            # Per-hop timeout
      traceroute_queries: 3  # Number of traceroute attempts per run
      e2e_queries: 1         # Number of end-to-end latency probes

      # Additional behavior
      reverse_dns: true                  # Perform reverse DNS lookups
      tcp_syn_paris_traceroute_mode: true
      disable_windows_driver: false      # Windows only

  # EXAMPLE SECOND TEST
  # - enabled: true
  #   networkpath:
  #     dest_hostname: "www.second-example.com"
  #     dest_port: 443
  #     destination_service: "second-service"
  #     source_service: "atatus-infra-agent"
  #
  #     protocol: "tcp"
  #     tcp_method: "syn"
  #
  #     max_ttl: 30
  #     timeout: 2s
  #
  #     traceroute_queries: 3
  #     e2e_queries: 1
  #
  #     reverse_dns: true
  #     tcp_syn_paris_traceroute_mode: true
  #     disable_windows_driver: false

Field Explanation

Target Definition

Field Description
dest_hostname Host/IP you are testing towards
dest_port Port for TCP/UDP traceroute
destination_service Friendly name used in UI for grouping

Source Metadata

Useful when multiple agents report the same test.

Field Description
source_service Application or service origin
source_container_id Container ID if running inside Docker/K8s

Protocol Selection

Supported protocols: TCP (most accurate for real traffic paths), UDP,ICMP.

TCP supports advanced modes:

Method Description
syn Standard TCP SYN-based traceroute
sack Uses TCP SACK packets
prefer_sack Prefer SACK when possible
syn_socket Uses OS socket-level tracing

Traceroute Parameters

Field Meaning
max_ttl Maximum number of hops
timeout Maximum wait time per hop
traceroute_queries How many traceroutes to run each cycle
e2e_queries End-to-end latency probes

Additional Features

Field Description
reverse_dns Whether to reverse-resolve IPs (adds hop names)
tcp_syn_paris_traceroute_mode Avoid load-balancing artifacts
disable_windows_driver Disable traceroute driver on Windows

Restart Agent

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sudo systemctl restart atatus-infra-agent