Unit VIII -Network Troubleshooting

Learning Outcomes
After studying this unit, you should be able to:

a. identifyanetworkproblem;
b. describeappropriatetroubleshootingtoolsandtheirfunctions;
c. analyzeanddiscussthetroubleshootingprocess;and
d. resolvecommonnetworkissues.

Introduction

While network technologies have evolved, the fundamental procedures for

troubleshooting networks have not; the real fundamentals that necessitate a
thorough understanding of networking remain the same. Network issues often have
ramifications beyond the network. Business procedures lag or stop entirely,
wasting money and causing stress. When it comes to wireless networks, a
slowdown has an impact on worker productivity. It's critical for network
administrators to be able to troubleshoot issues quickly and accurately. This aim
necessitates a combination of skill, process, and tooling.
You'll ultimately find yourself trying to resolve a network-related issue,
which can take one of two forms. Slow reaction times or poor performance are the
first, and a complete lack of connectivity is the second.
When your network is up and running, it's almost imperceptible; you may
transmit and receive data between any two PCs or other connected devices. When
a connection goes down, or one of your users can't identify a network node, or any
of a plethora of other issues arise, it's your job as the local network expert to fix it.
Even if the cause isn't clear, network problems always have a specific cause (or
combination of causes).

Lesson 1. Network Troubleshooting

Network troubleshooting is a logical process that network engineers use to

address network problems and improve network operations. It consists of a
combination of metrics and processes that are used to discover, diagnose, and solve
problems inside a computer network.
We'll go over troubleshooting procedures and advice based on the type of problem.

Basic Network Problems

 Cable Problem: The cable which is used to connect two devices can get
faulty, shortened or can be physically damaged.
 Connectivity Problem: The port or interface on which the device is
connected or configured can be physically down or faulty due to which the
source host will not be able to communicate with the destination host.
 Configuration Issue: Due to a wrong configuration, looping the IP, routing
problem and other configuration issues, network fault may arise and the
services will get affected.
 Software Issue: Owing to software compatibility issues and version
mismatch, the transmission of IP data packets between the source and
destination is interrupted.
 Traffic overload: If the link is over utilized then the capacity or traffic on a
device is more than the carrying capacity of it and due to overload condition
the device will start behaving abnormally.
 Network IP issue: Due to improper configuration of IP addresses and subnet
mask and routing IP to the next hop, the source will not be able to reach the
destination IP through the network.
Network Troubleshooting Flowchart

Lesson 2. Network Troubleshooting Tools

There are several tools for checking IP reachability issues and determining where
packets are dropped during communication with the destination host. These tools
make troubleshooting easier and reduce restoration time.

Some of the popular tools are mentioned below:

1.) SolarWinds Engineer’s Toolset

SolarWinds provides a network software, Engineer’s Toolset that contains over 60

tools.
You will be able to automate network discovery with the help of these technologies. It
has a suite of tools for automatic network discovery, such as Port Scanner, Switch
Port Mapper, SNMP sweep, IP Network Browser, and so on.

This software provides a lot of diagnostic power. It will monitor and inform you in real
time. IP address and DHCP scope monitoring, configuration and log management,
and better network security are all included.
Engineer's Toolset and SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor can function
together. With WAN Killer, the utility will assist you in performing network stress
testing. It will produce random traffic based on your criteria and will allow you to alter
packet size, bandwidth, and bandwidth percentage.

SolarWinds offers a 14-day fully functional free trial. Engineer's Toolset will set you
back $1495 per seat.

2.) Obkio

Obkio is a simple network performance monitoring solution that provides real-time,

end-to-end performance monitoring to let you examine the health of your network
and essential business applications in minutes!

Obkio's software monitors network performance and web applications and pinpoints
the source of typical network issues such as VoIP, video, and application stuttering.

Set up a network performance monitoring system. Agents stationed in strategic

positions around your company's offices or network destinations to swiftly determine
the source of a system problem and implement corrective actions.

Obkio notifies you as soon as a problem arises or if there are warning signals that a
breakdown is imminent. It not only warns you and pinpoints the cause of the problem,
but it also allows you to travel back in time and finish a diagnostic.

3.) Ping

The PING utility validates reachability to the remote end's destination host using IP
ICMP echo request and echo reply messages.

It contains two messages: the first is whether the data packet is capable of sending
and receiving messages from the destination IP address, and the second is the
process' RTT time (RTT means round trip time and is calculated in milliseconds).
Ping is successful, as evidenced by the exclamation. There are a variety of reasons
why the ping returns the destination as inaccessible. We'll utilize the next tool to
figure out what's causing the problem.

4.) Trace Route

It delivers ICMP echo request messages with IP TTL (time to live) values that
gradually rise.

The initial value is one. It transmits the data packet forward, decreasing the TTL
value by 1 with each hop while routing the data, and rejects packets with a TTL value
of 0 by responding that the message ICMP time has expired.

The source host delivers the data packet once more, but this time with a TTL of 2.
The procedure will continue in this manner until the packet reaches its destination, at
which point the destination host will respond with ICMP echo back messages.

The router uses traceroute to keep track of which route packets take to reach their
destination and estimates latency and other metrics.

5.) Protocol Analyzer

It's a sophisticated tool for locating network problems.

It is the program that intercepts and records the flow of data packets between the
source and the destination. For example, if the system is slow, it can check for
latency difficulties and other networking issues, which will aid in the diagnosis of the
main cause.

The Steps in Network Diagnostics

Here are some steps to troubleshoot and diagnose network issues such as IP,
connectivity, and wireless connections.
Lesson 3. Troubleshooting IP Problems

If we cannot reach the destination IP address and cannot identify a route to the next
hop at any point in the network using the TCP/IP protocol suite, we will utilize the
PING and TRACEROUTE tools to diagnose the cause and location of the problem.

The generic steps to troubleshoot the IP related issues in the network include:

 Firstly locate the pair of devices between the source and the destination host
between which the connectivity issue has occurred.
 Once you locate the devices using the tools, the fault can be due to a physical
connectivity issue. Thus check the physical connections all over the path.
 There can be a fault in the LAN connectivity as well if you are working in a
LAN network. So check the LAN connections. The local port can be faulty or
down due to which the source cannot be able to reach the destination IP.
 One of the reasons of the fault can be the router connectivity issue while
traveling through various paths to reach the destination. Hence check that if
the router is defined properly at each of the intermediate hops.
 Check the configuration settings.

Lesson 4. Troubleshooting Local Connectivity Issues

If you discover that there is a problem with LAN connectivity on a large level, you
should take the following actions to identify the root cause and resolve it:

 If the destination and the source are of the identical subnet mask, then try to
ping the destination IP.
 Else, if the destination is of some other subnet mask then try to ping the
gateway IP address of the router.
 Now, if both the ping fails, then first check that in the configuration settings, if
both the subnet mask and route to be followed to reach the destination are
defined properly in the routing table or not?
 Once you are done with the configuration part and found everything OK, then
check if your source host is able to ping some another hop in the LAN
network other than the destination host or route to that?
  If you are not able to ping to another device then there can be many reasons
for this. It may even be a configuration issue, a physical connectivity issue,
and repetitive IP address entry issue.

Correcting the Repetitive IP address Entry Issue

Disconnect the suspect device from the LAN and turn off the interface to which it was
attached to resolve the duplicate entry of an IP issue.

Ping the device from another device on the same subnet or in the same LAN
network. If the ping is successful, it means that the IP address is being used by
another device on the network. Find the device's MAC address in the ARP table and
change the IP address to match the plan.

However, if the problem persists, it may be due to a physical connectivity or

configuration issue.

Lesson 5. Troubleshooting Physical Connectivity Issues

The list of faults that come under this category are:

1. Improper connection of cables

2. Router, switch or hub port is faulty or down.
3. Traffic overload on the link or particular interface.
4. Configuration issue at layer-1.

Let’s take a look at the above in detail.

#1) Checking Cable connectivity Issue: Depending on the type of communication,

cables are utilized for connections. For example, the crossover pair of the cable is
used to link a router and a PC. As a result, ensure that the recommended and
appropriate cable is utilized to link any two devices physically.

If the connections appear to be fine, the cable may be defective; thus, test
connectivity by replacing the present cable with a newer one. If the issue remains,
look into the port or interface where the link is ended. There's a chance the port isn't
working properly.
#2) Port Faulty Scenario: Make that the port or interface where the link is
established isn't turned off. Also, double-check the duplex mode and speed. If the
port is operational but the problem remains, there are indicator lights on each device
that indicate the port's operational status.

Check whether the port is physically radiating or down using the indication lights. If
the port is physically broken, it will show up as a light status. Configure the link on a
different free port or interface in this case.

#3) Traffic overload: If a connection or interface has more traffic than it can handle,
it will begin to behave strangely at some point. As a result, double-check these
conditions to ensure a seamless operation.

#4) Configuration Issue: By using the show IP interface and show running-config
commands, you may see the router setup on the interface.

Lesson 6. Troubleshooting Routing Problems

When we route data packets via the network, there is a good probability that a
problem will occur. As a result, we will design a plan for correcting the issues based
on the type of defect.

The kind of fault that occurs between the source and destination hosts while
floating data packets in a network are listed below:

 Between the source and destination, no route is defined in the router.

 To determine the route to the next hop or destination, an incorrect Routing
protocol is employed.
 The router is experiencing a software issue.
 Data packets to the destination node may be blocked by any filter or firewall.
 At the source router end, there could be setup issues.
How to proceed for resolution:

 To find out the resolution, the first step is to locate the hop between the
source and the destination where the problem has occurred.
 The process verifies the IP connectivity and routing protocols connectivity at
each hop starting from the source host towards the destination one.
 We can also use the traceroute tool to locate the hop where the problem has
arised. But this is not helpful in all the cases. Hence, it is better if we proceed
with the first one.
 Once we locate the problematic hop, then login to that router via telnet and
then try to ping the source and destination host.
 If the ping is not successful, then verify the routing table for routes between
the source and destination. If routes are not defined then configure the IP
routes with the subnet mask and default route in the router.
 In condition, if the ping responses with only a few percentages of success,
then there may be multiple paths that are defined to reach the destination. But
out of multiple paths, one is failing to reach the destination. The cause for this
is that a routing loop can occur in the path. To rectify this, trace the looping
hop, and correct the configuration.
 After rectification of the above steps, if still, the problem persists, then check
the routing protocol used, and change the protocol in accordance with the
network.
 The configuration issues at a particular router can be checked using a
command like show ip interface for interface related faults, show ip access-
group for finding out ant firewall or filter is configured in the network and you
can check what is allowed to pass through it, show version for uptime and
show running-config for the overall configuration.

Lesson 7. Troubleshooting Upper-layer Faults

If you still can't find a solution after examining physical connectivity, local
connectivity, IP connectivity, and routing issues, the fault could be in the transport
and application layer protocol.

A fault can arise due to the following reasons:

  The data connection is down.
 A packet filter or firewall is blocking the incoming or outgoing traffic.
 The server's specific service is unavailable.
 Between the client and the server host, there may be an authentication and
access issue.
 Issues with software compatibility or version mismatch between the source
and destination hosts.

Depending upon the category of fault, we take the rectification steps.

 When a firewall prevents traffic from flowing over the network, we look for a
technique to shift the source host in the network so that the firewalls can be
ignored or bypassed.
 If a service is unavailable, take steps to restore it or align another server to
deliver the service.
 For the authentication process issue, we can use software to run tests to see
where authentication is failing, and then you can fix the problem based on the
results.
 If you have a version mismatch or compatibility issue, upgrade your system
so that both are compatible.

Lesson 8. Troubleshooting Wireless Network Connection Issue

#1) Whenever you connect your Tablet, mobile phone or Laptop with the WI-FI
device, and if you are not able to connect then check all the LAN or WAN cable
connections.

The Ethernet cable should be connected tightly and check the light status on the
device. If it is not green then the cable or port may be faulty. Thus change the port
and cable connections with a newer one.

#2) After verification of all of the above points, if the connection is still not through,
then verify the WI-FI network adaptor settings.
For windows laptop or PC, go to control panel, select the network connections option
and check what is the status on the wireless network adaptor? It should be enabled.
If it is not enabled then click on the enable key and mark the status as enabled.

Also, check if the airplane mode on a laptop or PC is disabled. If it is enabled, then it

will not allow connecting with a wireless network.

Network Adaptor Settings

#3) After checking all the above settings, if the status is still not connected then
check the wireless access point and SSID settings. After correction of the desired
settings, the status will change from not connected to acquiring network address to
connected. At this point, the client also allocates the IP address to the requesting
device.

Network Connection Settings

#4) If still, the problem persists, then click on the diagnose option from the wireless
network connection status menu to find out the cause.

#5) After performing all the above troubleshooting steps, if you are not able to
connect to the network still, then there may be other reasons like some firewall or
packet filter is barring you for using the network, and there could be a problem with
the authentication protocol used etc.

#6) To resolve these issues, reconfigure all the network settings and verify the IP
reachability by using PING.

These are the basic troubleshooting steps. If you are still not able to connect to the
network, then you can restart your system and then try to connect and consult with
some network settings expert.

Tips for Network Troubleshooting

Some Tips include:

  Always use a high-level password to protect your network devices such as
routers, switches and database servers as they store crucial data within
themselves.
 Don't give out your router login user ID and password to anyone inside or
outside your company.
 When you're finished with your work, properly log out of the system.
 Continue to use the show running-config command to check your
configuration.
 When assigning IP addresses and subnet masks to devices in a network,
always do the IP planning first and then draw a diagram of the connectivity of
the devices you're using.
 Use master-slave mode on your routers or servers so that, in the worst-case
scenario, if one fails, the other will take over the load and keep your network
running.
 Don't put too much traffic on your gadget.

This tutorial explains the numerous types of fault categories that we deal with in
networking systems.

We discovered that a problem can arise anywhere in the TCP/IP architecture, from
the bottom to the top layer, and that it can be caused by a physical connectivity
issue, a LAN issue, an IP-related issue, or any routing-related issues.

We take steps to discover and correct issues based on the type of problem. Only the
networking system's generic and basic troubleshooting steps are covered. Because it
is such a broad subject, a variety of various types of defects and newer faults can
occur in any network at any time.

However, as a newbie, it is critical to comprehend the above-described

troubleshooting techniques in order to rule out the problem at the source.