# phpman > man > RTMON(8)

[RTMON(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/RTMON/8/markdown)                               System Manager's Manual                              [RTMON(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/RTMON/8/markdown)



## NAME
       rtmon - listens to and monitors RTnetlink

## SYNOPSIS
       **rtmon** [ options ] file FILE [ all | LISTofOBJECTS ]

## DESCRIPTION
       This manual page documents briefly the **rtmon** command.

       **rtmon** listens on _netlink_ socket and monitors routing table changes.

       _rtmon_  can  be started before the first network configuration command is issued.  For example
       if you insert:

### rtmon file /var/log/rtmon.log

       in a startup script, you will be able to view the full history later.  Certainly, it is  pos‐
       sible  to  start rtmon at any time. It prepends the history with the state snapshot dumped at
       the moment of starting.


## OPTIONS
       _rtmon_ _supports_ _the_ _following_ _options:_

### -Version
              Print version and exit.

       **help**   Show summary of options.

### file FILE [ all | LISTofOBJECTS ]
              Log output to FILE. LISTofOBJECTS is the list of object types that we want to monitor.
              It  may contain 'link', 'address', 'route' and 'all'. 'link' specifies the network de‐
              vice, 'address' the protocol (IP or IPv6) address on a device, 'route' the routing ta‐
              ble entry and 'all' does what the name says.

### -family [ inet | inet6 | link | help ]
              Specify  protocol  family.  'inet' is IPv4, 'inet6' is IPv6, 'link' means that no net‐
              working protocol is involved and 'help' prints usage information.

### -4

### -6

### -0
              Shortcut for -family link.

## USAGE EXAMPLES
### # rtmon file /var/log/rtmon.log
              Log to file /var/log/rtmon.log, then run:

### # ip monitor file /var/log/rtmon.log
              to display logged output from file.

## SEE ALSO
       [**ip**(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ip/8/markdown)

## AUTHOR
       **rtmon** was written by Alexey Kuznetsov <<kuznet@ms2.inr.ac.ru>>.

       This  manual  page was written by Michael Prokop <<mika@grml.org>>, for the Debian project (but
       may be used by others).



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