Synopses & Reviews
This comprehensive handbook provides the latest protocol information and troubleshooting strategies to help you keep your network running at peak performance.
Network Analysis and Troubleshooting features proven network analysis techniques and experience-based strategies for isolating and solving network problems. This useful guide cuts to the chase by focusing on the most pertinent protocol packet formats you need to know to troubleshoot and optimize networks.
Network Analysis and Troubleshooting uses a proven "bottom-up" troubleshooting methodology that examines in detail each network layer--physical, data link, network, transport, session, presentation, and application--revealing the problems and solutions specific to each layer. This book also discusses the role of the protocol analyzer to measure and baseline throughput and latency, identify bottlenecks, and determine server and client response times. Numerous practical tips, diagrams, case studies, and trace file snapshots illustrate important concepts and techniques.
You will find essential information on such topics as:
- Wiring and cable testing issues
- Transmission encoding techniques
- Dissecting the IEEE 48-bit MAC address
- The impact of different types of broadcast traffic
- Operational details and analysis considerations for switches
- Ethernet and Token Ring operational details and analysis
- The IEEE 802.2 LLC protocol (explored in full)
- Datagrams and routing
- IP specifics, including addressing, subnets, and the role of ICMP
- IPX operation and analysis
- UDP, TCP, SPX, and SPX II protocol analysis
- How different protocols find resources via NetBIOS, SAP, and DNS
- Logon sequencing for various protocol stacks
- DHCP, SMB, NCP, NFS, FTP, HTTP, and NT Browse protocol analysis and troubleshooting
- Baselining throughput and latency, including understanding the "latency wedge"
0201433192B04062001
Synopsis
This complete, expert guide offers authoritative, real-world information to analyzing and troubleshooting networks. Readers find invaluable "straight-from-the-trenches" tips, diagrams, trace file snapshots--everything they need to keep networks operating at peak performance. A fully searchable CD-ROM contains an extensive library of technical papers and resources.
Description
This comprehensive handbook provides the latest protocol information and troubleshooting strategies to help you keep your network running at peak performance. Network Analysis and Troubleshooting features proven network analysis techniques and experience-based strategies for isolating and solving network problems. This useful guide cuts to the chase by focusing on the most pertinent protocol packet formats you need to know to troubleshoot and optimize networks.
Network Analysis and Troubleshooting uses a proven "bottom-up" troubleshooting methodology that examines in detail each network layer--physical, data link, network, transport, session, presentation, and application--revealing the problems and solutions specific to each layer. This book also discusses the role of the protocol analyzer to measure and baseline throughput and latency, identify bottlenecks, and determine server and client response times. Numerous practical tips, diagrams, case studies, and trace file snapshots illustrate important concepts and techniques.
You will find essential information on such topics as:
x Wiring and cable testing issues
x Transmission encoding techniques
x Dissecting the IEEE 48-bit MAC address
x The impact of different types of broadcast traffic
x Operational details and analysis considerations for switches
x Ethernet and Token Ring operational details and analysis
x The IEEE 802.2 LLC protocol (explored in full)
x Datagrams and routing
x IP specifics, including addressing, subnets, and the role of ICMP
x IPX operation and analysis
x UDP, TCP, SPX, and SPX II protocol analysis
x How different protocols find resources via NetBIOS, SAP, and DNS
x Logon sequencing for various protocol stacks
x DHCP, SMB, NCP, NFS, FTP, HTTP, and NT Browse protocol analysis and troubleshooting
x Baselining throughput and latency, including understanding the "latency wedge"
The CD-ROM provides Request for Comments (RFCs) in both hypertext and original formats, Internet Drafts, a computing and networking dictionary, Organizationally Unique Identifiers (OUIs, also known as network adapter vendor IDs), an IP Subnet Calculator, a protocol encapsulation chart, and more. The CD-ROM also includes a full-text search engine for all of the CD contents, including the RFCs.
About the Author
J. Scott Haugdahl is the founder of Net3 Group, Inc. (www.net3group.com), a company focused on resources for network analysis, including a Web site, value-added software for users of protocol analyzers, analysis training, and on-site troubleshooting. Mr. Haugdahl's eighteen years of computer networking experience includes troubleshooting networks for numerous Fortune 1000 and government organizations. He has written articles for industry trade publications, including the popular "On The Wire" column, which he coauthored with analysis, insight, and humor for over three years in
Network Computing Magazine. Early in his career he developed a popular DOS-based protocol analyzer. Mr. Haugdahl holds a Bachelor of Computer Science degree from the University of Minnesota, Institute of Technology.
0201433192AB04062001
Table of Contents
(
Most chapters begin with an Introduction.)
Preface.
1. Introduction.
Building a Foundation.
The OSI Reference Model Revisited.
The Seven Layers.
Packet Construction.
Identifying Problems by Layer.
The Protocol Analyzer.
Basic Protocol Analyzer Operation.
Analysis Essentials’What Differentiates One Analyzer from Another?
Packet Filtering, Slicing, and Triggering Tips and Tricks.
Proactive Performance and Upgrade Analysis.
Multi-LAN/WAN Analysis.
Remote Analysis.
Traffic Generation.
Expert Systems--Helpful or Hindrance?
Last But Not Least: Document Your Network!
2. Analyzing and Troubleshooting the Physical Layer.
The EIA 586-A Wiring Standard.
An End to Wiring Problems?
Basic Cable Testing.
Smart Cable Testers.
The Cable Tester as a Mini-SNMP Console and Mini-Web Server.
Ethernet Wiring Issues.
Case Study: An Ethernet Wiring Violation.
How Collisions Are Detected.
Fast Ethernet Wiring.
Token Ring Wiring.
Encoding the Bits onto the Media.
3. Analyzing and Troubleshooting the Data Link Layer.
Error Detection.
IEEE MAC Layer 48-Bit Addressing.
Functional Addresses.
Impact of Different types of Broadcast Traffic.
Transparent Bridging and Switching Operation and Troubleshooting.
Switches as Multiport Bridges.
Spanning Tree.
Troubleshooting in Bridged and Switched Environments.
Case Study: A Switched Network Meltdown.
IEEE 802.3/Ethernet.
Ethernet History in a Nutshell.
Ethernet Access Mechanism.
Full-Duplex Ethernet.
Ethernet Frame Formats.
Calculating Network Utilization and Bandwidth Efficiency in Ethernet.
Case Study: Analyzing Excessive Ethernet Collisions.
Case Study: A Slow Server on an Ethernet Segment.
Token Ring/IEEE 802.5.
The Token Passing Process.
Frame and Token Format.
Insertion Phases and the Ring Poll Process.
Roles of the Active Monitor and Standby Monitor.
Access Priority and Early Token Release.
Case Study: High Rate of Packet Retransmissions.
Token Ring Soft and Hard Errors.
Fault Isolation and Recovery.
Calculation Network Utilization and Bandwidth Efficiency in Token Ring.
Source Route Bridging.
IEEE 802.2/Logical Link Control (LLC).
4. Analyzing and Troubleshooting the Network Layer.
Router Operation.
Network Layer Protocols.
AppleTalk.
Case Study: AppleTalk Users Lose Server Visibility.
DECnet.
IP.
IP Fragmentation.
IP RIP Operation.
Case Study: Locally Routed IP Packets.
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Packet Format and Operation.
Case Study: Troubleshooting Using Traceroute.
Case Study: Troubleshooting Using PING and ICMP.
IPX.
IPX Propagated Broadcast Packets.
Case Study: The Extra Hop.
IPX RIP Operation.
Case Study: IPX MTU Mismatch.
5. Analyzing and Troubleshooting the Transport Layer.
User Datagram Protocol (UDP).
Transport Control Protocol (TCP).
TCP Header.
TCP Retransmissions.
Case Study: Dropped Terminal Sessions.
Case Study: Tuning Side Effects.
Transport Layer Components of the NetWare Core Protocol (NCP).
NetWare Sequenced Packet Exchange (SPX) and SPX II Protocols.
SPX II.
SPX Timers.
6. Analyzing and Troubleshooting the Session Layer.
Domain Name System (DNS).
Background.
Packet Format.
Troubleshooting.
NetBIOS.
NetBIOS over LLC.
NetBIOS over IPX.
NetBIOS over TCP/IP.
NetWare Service Advertising Protocol (SAP).
7. Analyzing and Troubleshooting the Presentation Layer.
Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (ASN.1).
X Windows.
8. Analyzing and Troubleshooting the Application Layer.
Introduction and Common Problems at the Application Layer.
TCP/IP Related Protocols.
Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP).
Case Study: A User Is Unable to Obtain an IP Address.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
Telnet.
Sun Network File System (NFS).
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
NetWare Core Protocol (NCP).
Case Study: The Network Is Slow.
Case Study: The Network Is Slow II.
Case Study: Degraded Login Response Time.
Case Study: Dropped Server Connections.
Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol.
SMB Logon and Packet Format.
Case Study: Poor Response Time.
Case Study: Poor Throughput.
The MS Browser Protocol.
Case Study: Non-broadcast Packet Storm Melts Network.
9. Measuring and Analyzing Throughput and Latency.
Characterizing the Application.
Areas of Latency in WANs and LANs.
The “Latency Wedge”.
Case Study: The Slow Remote.
Analyzing Latency.
Analyzing Throughput.
A Case Study Revisited.
Case Study: The Slow Remote II.
Appendix A: Resources and References.
Appendix B: Hex-Decimal-Binary Conversion Table.
Glossary.
Index. 0201433192T04062001