Network Path Monitoring

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:

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

sudo systemctl restart atatus-infra-agent

​Overview

​Requirements

​Configuration File

​Field Explanation

​Protocol Selection

​Traceroute Parameters

​Additional Features