Network Management Strategies for the CIO
Tutorial:
Guide to network performance management
SearchNetworking.com
This guide introduces you to the best performance
management practices and pitfalls to avoid, and provides troubleshooting help and advice for
monitoring and maintaining your network. You'll find articles, tutorials, tips, tools, white
papers, expert advice and more to pump up your network monitoring and diagnostic know-how quickly.
Drop me an e-mail to let me know what other learning guides you'd like to see on
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-- Kara Gattine,
Associate Editor
TABLE OF CONTENTS The Network Life Cycle -- An introduction by Loki Jorgenson Network documentation Network monitoring Network measurement Network troubleshooting ResourcesMore
Learning Guides |
 The Network Life Cycle by Loki
Jorgenson |
 Return to
Table of Contents |
The Network Life Cycle defines a range of needs that require a variety of
methodologies and tools for network Monitoring, Measurement, Assessment and Diagnosis (MMAD). Each
stage of the NLC has its own requirements that can typically be met with a judicious selection of
tools and assessment solutions. This guide provides some of the underpinnings of a successful NLC.
Each stage of the typical Network Life Cycle requires some degree of attention with regards to
MMAD. In fact, the degree to which each stage is properly carried out can define the likelihood of
success of subsequent stages.
| Network documentation |
Return to
Table of Contents |
In order to respond to network incidents you will need to have thorough records. These resources
will help.
- Network
analysis worksheet
- Build
your network utilization history
- Building
an incident report
- Conducting
a network audit
- Network
diagrams, part 1
- Network
diagrams, part 2
- Network diagrams samples, part 3
| Network monitoring |
Return to
Table of Contents |
Keeping a close eye on your network performance and throughput is critical. But as your network
grows and becomes more complicated, monitoring it becomes all the more complex. Here's some
help.
- Best
practices for network monitoring
- Active
probing technology to monitor network environments
- Listing
enterprise network monitoring requirements
- What
should I be monitoring and at what layer
- Checking
for high-network utilization on a switched network
- Looking
for trouble: ICMP and IP statistics to watch
- Ports
to watch
- Who
and how long? - Monitoring network usage
- Using
a network sniffer
- Network
auditing with dsniff 2.3
- Etherpeek
NX: Managing traffic in real time
- Log
monitoring with swatch
| Network measurement |
Return to
Table of Contents |
Measuring performance (not just availability) is essential. Use these resources as a starting
point.
- What
Ping doesn't tell you
- Analyzing
your network: Statistical monitoring vs. real-time performance
- Standardizing
performance measurement procedures
- Measuring
utilization
- Measurement
tools
- Testing
methodology
- Testing
for packet loss
- Best
practices for end-to-end testing
- Network
fault analysis: Putting the guru in the analyzer
- Interpreting
bandwidth utilization
- Bandwidth is a misnomer
| Network troubleshooting |
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Table of Contents |
Troubleshooting your network is a big part of a network manager's job. It's also one of the most
complex parts. These resources can help you with the many options and all those details.
- Network
management troubleshooting
- Bottom
up approach to network troubleshooting
- Top
down approach to network troubleshooting
- LAN
management and troubleshooting
- Crossing
the performance wizard gap
- Logical
Fault Isolation in six steps
- Diagnosing
packet loss
- Numbers
lie: Your NIC could be killing your network performance
- Performance
command line utilities
- Performance
variances
| Resources |
Return to
Table of Contents |
These links round out our coverage on performance, measurement, assessment and diagnosis.
- The
new network management science
- Top
five tips for improving network performance
- Ten
tips in 10 Minutes: Ten ways to speed up your network (expert webcast)
- Network
management: Proactive approach or reactive measures (expert webcast)
- Network
Performance Infrastructures: Not your father's NMS
- Traffic
and everything like traffic: Dealing with network performance degradation
- Network Analysis, Architecture and Design (chapter download)
- The
growing complexity of managing IP networks, Part 1
- The growing complexity of managing IP networks, Part 2
Special features
- Article: It's
the application stupid!
- Article: Identifying
network misuse
With a Ph.D. in computational physics from McGill University, Loki Jorgenson has been
active in scientific computation, physics and mathematics, visualization, and simulation for over
20 years. He has published in areas as diverse as philosophy, graphics, educational technologies,
statistical mechanics, logic and number theory. Loki is an Adjunct Professor of Mathematics at
Simon Fraser University, where he co-founded the Center for Experimental and Constructive
Mathematics. He has directed academic research in numerous network-centric projects from high
performance computing to telelearning. At Apparent Networks, Loki is responsible for leading their
efforts in critical research areas such as high performance applications, wireless and VoIP, expert
systems, and intelligent networks in collaboration with international thought leaders and as a
corporate member of Internet2.
26 Aug 2005