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Monitoring Network Bandwidth and Speed in Linux: Speedtest Ubuntu

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Speedtest ubuntu

Sunday, July 25, 2021


2:30 PM
 

Monitoring Network Bandwidth and Speed in


Linux
Last updated October 7, 2020 By Sergiu 25 Comments

Brief: In this article, we list some open source utilities to monitor the network
traffic, bandwidth and internet speed in Linux.

Monitoring internet speed can be a crucial step in understanding your connection


and it can help you find possible problems. It will also help you troubleshoot any
connectivity problems you might have and find possible bottlenecks.

Tools for Monitoring Internet traffic and speed in Linux


I am going to present you different tools to help monitor your internet speed. I
have provided installation instructions for Ubuntu/Debian based distributions but
the tools can be easily installed in other distributions.

It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner that wants a simple, working solution, a guru
looking to get as much information about your network as possible, if you prefer
GUI or CLI programs, I’ll help you find the right tool for the job.

1. NetSpeed – GNOME shell extension for desktop users


NetSpeed Shell Extension
NetSpeed is a GNOME shell extension that displays the sum of your download and
upload speed in your gnome panel. Clicking on it displays the separate values in a
drop-down.

It is applicable only if you use the GNOME desktop environment. If you are not
familiar already, read this tutorial to know how to use GNOME Shell extensions.

How to Mount and Use exFAT Drive on Ubuntu Linux [Quick Tip]

2. Fast – Netflix’s Internet speed tester


Fast Download Speed Utility
Fast is an open-source CLI utility powered by Netflix fast.com service. Although
the code for the website itself isn’t open-source, Netflix have explained how it
works here. Fast is the perfect tool for someone that just wants to check the
download speed in a very simple manner.

You can install it using snap. Make sure to enable Snap support in your
distribution and then run the following command:

sudo snap install fast


Once installed, you can run the utility by typing in:

fast
Once again, after a few seconds, you’ll get your result:

Fast Snap Display Internet Speed


3. speedtest-cli: check upload and download speed
speedtest-cli
speedtest-cli is an open-source command line interface for testing internet
bandwidth using speedtest.net (which, itself, isn’t open-source). It is a quick little
tool for checking your download and upload speed.

speedtest-cli is available in most distros and can easily be installed using the
package manager. On Debian/Ubuntu, you can use the following command:

sudo apt install speedtest-cli


Once installed, simply run:

speedtest
After a few seconds, you’ll get information about which server was used for
checking your connection, as well as the details concerning your internet speed.
Use man speedtest to learn about additional options (such as not performing
download test with –no-download).

4. NetHogs – Check bandwidth utilization per program basis


NetHogs
NetHogs is a simple open-source utility that runs in the terminal. Instead of
breaking the traffic down per protocol or per subnet, it groups bandwith by
process. It is very helpful for finding the PID of a hanging program or just for seeing
what is eating your bandwidth. It relies mostly on /proc, so most features are
Linux-only.

Luckily, NetHogs is included in many distros. That means you can install and
remove it using your normal package manager. On Debian/Ubuntu, you can use
this:

sudo apt install nethogs


To run it, simply use:

sudo nethogs
Conveniently, you can specify devices after the command (such as sudo nethogs
eth0). You also have additional parameters, such as choosing a delay for the
refresh rate (-d), version info (-V), tracemode (-t) and a few others which you can
check out in the man pages (man nethogs).

5. nload – Real-Time internet traffic monitoring


nload
nload is an open-source console application that allows you to monitor network
traffic and bandwidth usage in real time. It visualizes incoming and outgoing traffic
using graphs, while also providing additional information (total amount of
transferred data, min/max network usage etc.). It’s a simple to use tool that can be
really helpful at times.

You can install it in Debian and Ubuntu based distributions using the command:

sudo apt install nload


To run it, simpy type in:

nload
You can control its various aspects from the manpage (man nload).
6. CBM – Color Bandwidth Meter

CBM Color Bandwidth Meter


CBM is a very simple tool that displays (in color) network traffic on all connected
devices, in a very stripped-down manner.

CBM is a slightly older piece of software that can be found in most distro
repositories. This makes installing and removing it using the package manager very
easy.

sudo apt install cbm -y


Using CBM is just as easy as installing it. You run:

cbm
The commands are displayed in the bottom of your terminal so that you can
control them easily.
7. iPerf – Test network performance between two hosts

iPerf
iPerf is tool used for network performance measurement and tuning and can
produce standardized performance measurements for any network. It
has client and server functionality, and can create data streams to measure
bandwidth, loss and other parameters between the two ends in one or both
directions. There are two implementations: the original iPerf (iPerf2) and a non-
backwards compatible implementation iPerf3.

The easiest way to install (or remove) iPerf or iPerf3 is using the package manager.
For example, in Ubuntu:

sudo apt install iperf


sudo apt install iperf3
Then you can just run the one you want:

iperf
iperf3
Note: For all further examples, if you are using  iPerf3  simply replace all instances
of  iperf  with  iperf3.
However, doing so will only display your options. To run iPerf, you need a
minimum of 2 machines: one to act as a client and one to act as a server. For the
server, you’ll use:

iperf -s
This will open the machine for listening on port 5001. To connect to another
machine and run a test, you’ll use:

iperf -c server_address
Where server_address is, of course, the address of the server you are trying to
connect to. This can be either an IP address, or something like ping.online.net.
The iPerf3 team has a list of servers to use for testing purposes.

iPerf is a widely used tool that has a lot of specific uses and many options. I won’t
go into those, since it is beyond the scope of this article. However, you can check
out the manpage (man iperf / man iperf3) or the documentation.

8. vnStat – Network traffic logger

vnStat
vnStat is an open-source console-based network traffic monitor that uses the
network interface statistics provided by the kernel as information source for its
periodic logs. This means that vnStat won’t actually be sniffing any traffic and also
ensures light CPU usage. It can be run without root permissions.
As with many other networking tools, vnStat is include in most distribution
repositories. This means you can very easily install (and remove) it using your
package manager.

sudo apt install vnstat


To use it in the most basic way, simply enter:

vnstat
vnStat offers you more advanced features too, such as the ability to use databases
(importing them or exporting output to a file). You can check these out in the
manpage (man vnstat). More examples can be found on the official website.

9. iftop – The ‘top’ of Network Usage


iftop
iftop is a free open-source software command-line system monitor tool that
produces a frequently updated list of network connections between pairs of hosts.
The connections can be ordered by different parameters, but they ordered by
default by bandwidth usage, with only the “top” bandwidth consumers shown.

Wrapping Up

In this article I showed you multiple tools you can use to monitor different statistics
concerning the performance of your network. There is a tool that is right for
everyone, and you can pick and choose the one that fits your specific needs. I hope
this article was a good introduction to the world of internet monitoring.

What is your favorite tool and how are you using it? Let us know in the comments
section!

 
Từ <https://itsfoss.com/network-speed-monitor-linux/>
 

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