Understanding the network.pdf - Back to Home

Chapter 11. Network Troubleshooting,
Performance Tuning, and Management
Fundamentals
This chapter deals with perhaps the most daunting tasks any network administrator
will face, network performance and network management. To those new to
networking, there is a common misconception that designing and building the
network are its most difficult aspects. What they soon learn after the network is
completed is that building was the fun part. Now that it is in place, the work begins.
The work consists of keeping the network up and running and providing a consistent
level of reliability and performance. Computer networks today are essentially the
nervous system of the business. They connect everything together and without
them, everything just stops working (in most cases).
The problem is that computer networks are not stationary systems like file and
database systems. Computer systems have finite limitations that can be monitored
and in many cases corrected in a reasonably straightforward manner. If a system
becomes sluggish, its processing and memory resources can be monitored. If its
storage systems become too full, data can be moved off to tape or disks can be
added. This is not to say that system management is an easy task. Rather, there are
cause and effect relationships that can be identified. Computer networks, on the
other hand, are much more difficult. They are a collection of complex,
interdependent systems. Physical cabling, routers, switches, repeaters, and
end-stations are all equal partners in the operation of the network. Keeping track of
all these elements, where they are, how they are configured, and how they are
functioning, and most importantly, being able to correct problems when they arise,
are all within the broad scope of network management.
Network Analysis and Performance Tuning
Using a management and monitoring system on your network is the best way to
identify network faults and performance issues. These systems, however, are not
really designed to resolve problems after they are identified. In addition, their
capability to detect performance-related issues is really limited by your own ability
to identify performance issues. This is to say, they are data collection systems, not
fault and performance problem-resolution systems. The network administrator
and/or network operations staff performs this function. You can have all the
network management data in the world, but if you cannot understand the
information that is being collected in relation to how your network functions, it is
useless. This is where network analysis and performance tuning come in.