Best Network Monitoring Tools for Linux Mint

Getting a hold of the best network monitoring tools for Linux Mint is your fast ticket to resolving downtime issues in the long run. Here’s our take on the best tools for the job. 

The Linux operating system is equipped with several monitoring tools that can be used to monitor the hosts itself or the other hosts on the network. These network monitoring tools can help in identifying the anomalies present on your computer or in the network and can prevent you from potential threats. 

Best Network Monitoring Tools for Linux Mint

You can monitor the system usage and possible reasons for malfunctioning and get a complete picture of the hosts’ surroundings. This guide will discuss various network monitoring tools available for Linux Mint.

The netstat tool

This tool can monitor network statistics, as the name implies. You can monitor network interfaces, protocol details, and routing information. The tool is installed by default in Linux.

Usage

You can run the netstat via the following commands on the terminal:

$ netstat

The option –s can display all network statistics, including transmission control protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP). To run the netstat tool continuously, use the –c option. It refreshes after every second. 

Etherape tool

Etherape is a tool to sniff network interfaces and graphically display the information. It supports various devices such as SLIP, PPP, and Ethernet. 

Installation

However, you need to install this tool in Linux using the following command:

$ sudo apt install etherape

Now to use the tool, type the following command in the terminal:

$etherape

Nethogs tool

This command line is similar in functionality to the top command of Linux. 

Installation

To install this tool, run the following command in Linux:

$ sudo apt install nethogs

Now run the tool using the following command in the terminal:

$nethogs

It monitors the network traffic in real-time and displays information about the application. It shows the application taking the maximum bandwidth in the system. 

Nload tool

It monitors incoming and outgoing traffic. It provides information about network traffic usage and the data transfer volume. The total data transmitted and min/max network usage is displayed. 

Installation:

To install this tool, run the following command:

$ sudo apt install nload

Usage:

Now, you can run the program on the terminal via the following command:

$nload

Iftop tool

This command, i.e.interface top (iftop), displays information about the hosts working slowly on the network. The network activities are monitored and shown in real-time. Information such as the network interface processes and further details are displayed.

Installation:

To use this utility, run the following command to install it first:

$ sudo apt install iftop

Usage:

Now, run the tool via the following command:

$iftop

Slurm tool

This tool can be used to reverse network activity and display the information in the form of a graph. 

Installation

The tool can be installed via the following command:

$ sudo apt install slurm

Usage

Now, run the tool using the following command:

$ sudo slurm -i wlan0

Tcpflow tool

It is a server networking tool used by network administrators to see the information about the packets transmitted in the network. 

Installation:

Install the tool using the following command:

$ sudo apt install tcpflow

Usage:

Now run the tool using the following command:

$ sudo tcpflow

Vnstat

the vnstat command is included by default in most Linux distributions. Using this tool, you can monitor and control the number of packets sent and received during a specific period specified by the end user. Another benefit of this tool is that information can be logged for further analysis in the future.

Installation:

sudo apt-get install sysstat

Iptraf

A console-based utility for IP traffic monitoring. The information displayed by the tool includes TCP flags, internet control message protocol (ICMP) details, TCP/ UDP traffic faults, TCP connection packets, etc.

Installation:

To install this tool in Linux, simply type the following command on the terminal:

$sudo apt-get install iptraf

Wireshark

A free utility can analyze the traffic flowing through network interfaces. You can drill down to the protocol level details and see the packets being transferred, such as hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), TCP, UDP, internet protocol (IP), data frames, etc.

Installation

To install the tool, use the following command:

$ sudo apt install wireshark

Iperf

Internet performance monitoring tool (iperf) can be used to observe network throughput over various protocols such as TCP, UDP, and SCTP. Using this tool, you can tune network performance over these protocols. In addition, you can test the maximum achievable bandwidth over the IP network using this tool.

Installation:

The installation of the tool is straightforward. Type the following command on the terminal:

$ sudo apt-get install iperf3

Usage:

To run the iperf server, type the following command:

$iperf -s

Now the client can connect to the host using the following command:

$iperf -c host

Other tools

Of course, there are several other monitoring tools. Providing details of every tool is not possible. Here we list down some tools: 

• monitorix
• dstat
• bwm-ng
• lbmonitor
• htop, bmon
• darkstat
• cbm
• netperf
• sarg
• cacti
• zabbix 
• nagios

There are also a few cloud-based solutions for network monitoring, such as site24X7.

In this guide, we have discussed various network monitoring tools essential to keep the hosts and the network optimal and avoid potential anomalies. These tools can help keep an eye on multiple aspects, such as bandwidth and transmission details. 

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