Network Troubleshooting: Accessing The WAN - Chapter 8

Network
Troubleshooting
Accessing the WAN – Chapter 8
1
Objectives
 Establish a network baseline
 Describe troubleshooting methodologies and
troubleshooting tools
 Describe the common issues that occur during WAN
implementation
 Troubleshoot enterprise network implementation
issues
ITE 1 Chapter 6 © 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public 2
Network Baseline
A baseline is really a "network snapshot", a picture

of your surrounding network devices and their
performance - which also helps to spot issues
before they happen.
Network baselining is the act of measuring and rating

the performance of a network in real-time situations.
Providing a network baseline requires testing and
reporting of the physical connectivity, normal network
utilization, protocol usage, peak network utilization,
and average throughput of the network usage.
Establish a Network Baseline
 Explain the importance of network documentation
Contents of network documentation
Router and Switch Documentation (network devices):
The router documentation should include the router names, model designation, location in
the enterprise (building, floor, room, rack, panel), configured interfaces, data link layer
addresses, network layer addresses, routing protocols configured, and any additional
important information about the device.
The switch documentation should include the switch names, model designation, location in
the enterprise (building, floor, room, rack, panel), management IP address, port names and
status, speed, duplex, STP state, PortFast setting, trunk status, L2 or L3 EtherChannel,
VLAN IDs, and any additional important information about the device.
Logical Network Topology Diagram:

Graphical representation that uses symbols to identify each network device and how it is
interconnected. Also details the logical architecture, including interface types and numbers,
IP addresses, subnet masks, routing protocols, AS domains, and any additional important
information, such as DLCI numbers and Layer 2 protocol.
End-user Documentation:
The end-user documentation should include the server names and function, OS version, IP
address, gateways, DNS server, network application, and any additional important
information about the device.
Establish a Network Baseline
 Purpose for measuring normal network performance
when creating a baseline
Planning the first network baseline
Step 1: Determine what types of data to collect.
Start out simply by selecting a few variables that represent the defined
policies and fine-tune along the way. Generally, some good starting
measures are interface utilization and CPU utilization.
Step 2: Identify devices and ports of interest
Devices and ports of interest must be identified, such as network device

ports that connect to other network devices, servers, key users, and
anything else considered critical to the operation.
Step 3: Determine the baseline duration
This period should be at least seven days to capture daily or weekly trends
and should last two to four weeks.
Describe Troubleshooting Methodologies
and Troubleshooting Tools
 Explain why a systematic method is the generally the
best approach to troubleshooting
Troubleshooting Methodologies and
Troubleshooting Tools
 Describe how layered models, such as the OSI
reference model or TCP/IP model, are used for
troubleshooting
 Three stages of the general troubleshooting process
 The three main methods for troubleshooting network
problems
Top Down
Bottom Up
 The stages for gathering symptoms for troubleshooting
a network problem
 The types of software and hardware tools that are
commonly used when troubleshooting networks
The Common Issues that Occur During
WAN Implementation
 Describe the fundamentals in WAN design and
communication
WAN Implementation
 Describe the steps for designing or modifying a WAN
WAN Implementation
 Describe the considerations for analyzing WAN traffic
WAN Implementation
 The considerations for designing a WAN topology
WAN Implementation
WAN Implementation
 The recommended steps for troubleshooting a WAN
Troubleshoot Enterprise Network
Implementation Issues
 Network diagrams are used for troubleshooting
 How to troubleshoot network problems occurring at the
physical layer
Common symptoms of physical layer
problems.
Loss of connectivity - If a cable or device fails, the most

obvious symptom is a loss of connectivity between the devices
that communicate over that link or with the failed device or
interface, as indicated by a simple ping test. Intermittent loss of
connectivity could indicate a loose or oxidized connection.
High collision counts - Collision domain problems affect the

local medium and disrupt communications to Layer 2 or Layer 3
infrastructure devices, local servers, or services. Collisions are
normally a more significant problem on shared media than on
switch ports.
 Troubleshoot network problems occurring at the data
link layer
 Troubleshoot network problems occurring at the
network layer
 Troubleshoot network problems occurring at the
transport layer
 Troubleshoot network problems occurring in the
application layers
Summary
 Network Baseline
How a network is expected to perform under normal conditions
 Network documentation should include:

– Network configuration table
– End-system configuration table
– Network topology diagram
 Planning for the 1st baseline

– Determine what type of data to collect
– Identify devices and ports of interest
– Determine baseline duration
Summary
 3 stages of the troubleshooting process

–Gather symptoms
–Isolate problem
–Correct problem
 3 main methods for troubleshooting a network

–Bottom up
–Top down
–Divide & conquer
Summary
 Software troubleshooting tools

–Cisco view
–Solar winds
–HP Open view
 Hardware troubleshooting tools

–Network analysis mode
–Digital multi-meters
–Cable testers
–Network analyzer
Summary
 Common WAN implementation issues include

–QoS
–Reliability
–Security
–Latency
–Confidentiality
–Public or Private
 Using a layered approach to troubleshooting aids in

isolating and solving the problem

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Network

Accessing the WAN – Chapter 8

A baseline is really a "network snapshot", a picture

Network baselining is the act of measuring and rating

Logical Network Topology Diagram:

Step 1: Determine what types of data to collect.

Step 2: Identify devices and ports of interest

Devices and ports of interest must be identified, such as network device

Step 3: Determine the baseline duration

Loss of connectivity - If a cable or device fails, the most

High collision counts - Collision domain problems affect the

 Network documentation should include:

 Planning for the 1st baseline

 3 stages of the troubleshooting process

 3 main methods for troubleshooting a network

 Software troubleshooting tools

 Hardware troubleshooting tools

 Common WAN implementation issues include

 Using a layered approach to troubleshooting aids in

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