Testing and Troubleshooting

Networks
Chapter 19

Chapter Objectives

Identify the tools used for troubleshooting physical

networks
Perform crimp testing and router testing
Perform loop back test
Use the diagnostic utilities

Chapter 19

Recall

Threats are of two types: Internal and External

Firewall protects the system from unauthorized
access of resources
Firewalls are of two types: Packet Filter and Proxy
Digital signature is an authentication technique
Encryption is conversion of a plain text document
into a encrypted form
It is used to provide security to data
RAID is a collection of hard disks to share and
replicate data

Chapter 4

Network troubleshooting Tools

The various tools available for checking the network

are:

Chapter 4

Software Tools
Hardware Tools
Touchy Tools

Loopback Test

Signal is transmitted and it echos back

Echo signal compared with original signal
Tests the transmission path and tools used for
transmission
Traces a faulty node in network
Requires a loopback plug

Chapter 4

Network Monitors

Detect and display problems present in the network

Provides data related to network traffic

Analyze data traffic to determine various network

problems that can occur

Chapter 4

LAN Tester - I

Used to test 10, 100 and 1000

Base-T Networks
Consists of two units

Main unit

Remote Probe

Chapter 4

Indicates LAN device type i.e

hub, switch
Determines speed of LAN and
type of link
Used to locate faults in a cable

LAN Tester - II

Functions of LAN tester

Chapter 4

Verify PC to hub speed and data transmission

Check hub to hub data transmission
Determines any speed bottlenecks present on 10 and
100 Base-T LANs
Continuously tracks LAN link

Cable Testers and Certifiers

Checks electrical
connections
Determines if a short or open
circuit is present in the
network
Consists of a source of
current, volt meter and
microcontroller

Chapter 4

Time-Domain Reflectometers

Locates fault in metallic cables

Transmits a pulse through the cable
At every discontinuity, an echo is
reflected back
Used to test long cables
Results are displayed on a CRT or
LCD

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Protocol Analyzers - I

It may be a software or hardware device

Captures packets from network

Analyzes captured packets
Analyzes the network traffic
Identifies bottlenecks in network
Operate on network layer
Identifies active systems on network

Removes the faulty system from network

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11

Protocol Analyzers - II
Types of protocol analyzers
Packet analyzer
Capture packets present on the wire and store
them for analyzing later
Does a statistical analysis of the data captured but
it is not its primary function

Statistical analyzers
Gather quantitative data to prepare a report on the
different statistical trends
Does not store the packets for later analysis

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Touchy Tools

Used to identify network problems

Problems are identified using asking various
questions to user
Analyzes current situation and compares it with set
of baselines
Adequate knowledge and experience is useful to
determine problems

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13

Backups

Used to preserves a copy of original files

Should be performed on regular basis
Useful when a data loss occurs
Restores system to previous state

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14

Baselines

Used to compare the systems current performance

with reference level set by the network administrator
Determines possible network problems
Performance monitor helps to set baselines
Monitors both real time as well as historical data
Baselines may change with time

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15

Troubleshooting Model - I

Steps of troubleshooting model

Chapter 19

Establish the symptoms

Isolate the cause of the problem
Establish what has changed that might have caused
the problem
Ask Isolating questions

16

Troubleshooting Model - II

Chapter 4

Identify the most probable cause

Implement a solution
Test the solution
Recognize the potential effects of the solution
Document the solution

17

Four layer Model

Four layers model

Hardware Considers all the hardware related issues

Protocols Deals with problems related to protocols

Chapter 4

Checks the installation and configuration of protocols

Network Considers the client and server concept

Focuses on problems with network devices such as

hubs, switches

Determines which node will act as client and which will

act as server

Shared Resources Determines which resources are

to be shared
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Cable Testing and Certification - I

Cable Distance

Measures the distance of a cable and helps to locate

the point where a short or open is present
Speed of pulse depends on wires, type of insulation
and external shielding

Wire Map

Used for twisted-pair installations

Detects split pairs
Detects crossed pair condition

Cable Testing and Certification - II

Attenuation

Reduction in strength of signal

Cable Testers are used to measures loss of power

Near-End Crosstalk

Transfer of electricity from one wire to another in the

same cable
Causes

Untwisted patch cables

Crossed pairs

Cable Testing and Certification - III

Network Monitoring and Protocol Decoding

Cable checkers monitor network traffic

Locates loose cables

Noise-Level Test

Detects high or low level traffic

External signal that interfere with original signals

Measured in millivolts (mV)

Testing Fiber

Fiber-optic cable testers use optical time-domain

reflectometer which depend on the reflection of light

SNMP

Simple Network Management Protocol

Networking standard protocol
Used with TCP/IP networks
Monitors and manages the network
Helps to examine network performance
Detect network faults or inappropriate access

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22

Potential Network connectivity

problem

Causes of network connectivity problems

Chapter 4

Incorrect network adapters (NIC)

Incorrect switch settings
Faulty hardware
Driver issues
Upgradation of operating system
Server relocation
The network adapter is incompatible with the
motherboard

23

Network Workstation Troubleshooting

Process

Steps to troubleshoot network workstation

Chapter 4

Determine what stopped working

Determine if failure is on a single users workstation
Try to log onto the network
Check the NICs link light

24

Case Study - I

In the MoneyMaker bank a new computer is connected

in the Customer Service department of Chennai
branch. The computer is connected to the local
network. But it is unable to connect to the Internet.

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Problem

Unable to connect computer to the Internet

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26

Suggested Solution

Add the new DNS address provided by the network

administrator in the DNS server box

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27

Netstat Command

Displays TCP/IP information

Determines which ports are active
Identifies ports that are vulnerable to attacks
Provides connection details
Provides data about TCP and UDP

Ipconfig Command

Displays all network settings

Identifies DHCP problems
Used with windows 2000 and later versions
Displays and resets DNS cache
Sets and displays DHCP class IDs for an adapter

Winipcfg Command

Provides IP addressing details

Used for windows 98 or earlier versions
Provides details such as IP address, Subnet Mask,
Default Gateway, DHCP Server, WINS Server, etc.

ARP Command

Links IP address of a node with its hardware

address
Various ARP command options can be used to
display or change the values in ARP table

Nbtstat Command

Resolves NetBIOS name resolution problems

Used when WINS server is not accessible
displays protocol information and current TCP/IP
connection using NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NBT)

Route Command

Allows you to view and make changes in the IP

routing table
Used to differentiate between routes to hosts and
routes to networks by reading the network address
of the destination

Case Study - II

The employees of MoneyMaker bank have been

constantly complaining that they are not able to get
connected to a particular device. To check the
problem, John who is the network administrator of
the branch performs a ping test. While performing
the ping test he gets Request timed out error

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Problem

Pinging to a device gives request time out error

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Suggested Solution

Ping to the loop back address or do a self ping

Ping to the gateway
If you get a destination host unreachable error
message then gateway address in TCP/IP is not
configured properly
Ping to the device
If you are still getting the request time out error
then the device is either shut down or not working
properly

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Summary - I

Loopback test is used to test if the ports are

functioning properly
Cross over cables temporarily connect devices
when router, switch or hub is not present
Faults in cables like twisted wire pairs, coaxial
cables can be located using time-domain
reflectometer
Network monitor provides information related to
network traffic.

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Summary - II

Protocol analyzers perform the function of

interpreting the contents of the packets that are
intercepted
Ping, tracert, netstat, ipconfig, and winipcfg are
some commands that can be used to troubleshoot
various network problems
Netstat is used to check the ports that are active on
your system
Ipconfig provides information related to TCP/IP
connection

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Summary - III

Ipconfig is used for Windows 2000 or later versions

Winipcfg is used for windows 98 or other versions
ARP links IP address of node to its physical address

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