LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Troubleshooting and Maintaining
Switched LAN(II)
Topic & Structure of the lesson
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
•Configuration of Automated Management Tools
•Troubleshooting Switched Networks
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Learning Outcomes
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
At the end of this module, YOU should be able to:
• Explain the different automated tools used to monitor and manage
switched LANs.
• Explain the different elements and factors considered when
monitoring the switched LANs.
• Explain the objectives and approaches adopted for troubleshooting
switched LANS.
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Key Terms you must be able to use
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
If you have mastered this topic, you should be able to use the
following terms correctly in your assignments and tests:
• Alarm Limits and Thresholds
• RMON History
• Statistics Logging Applications
• Automated Management Tools Implementation
• Troubleshooting Tools
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Main Teaching Points
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
•Configuration of Automated Management Tools
•Troubleshooting Switched Networks
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Configuration of Automated Management Tools
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
Introduction
Monitoring a switched network involves the configuration of
automated tools integrated into the switch to detect
immediate changes in the network
These tools monitor many of the same statistics as the
baselining process
Instead of gathering long-term statistical data, these tools
are concerned only with the immediate state of the
network in order to quickly detect when critical thresholds
have been exceeded
By implementing these tools, the network can be
configured to continuously watch for potential error
conditions and notify the system administrator of these
conditions
Following are some of the tools commonly available to
automate network monitoring
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Configuration of Automated Management Tools
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
Alarm limits and Thresholds
Alarm limits and thresholds are the primary tools for
automated management of a switched network
This category of network monitoring tool defines any
embedded threshold monitoring capability of a network
device
If the network device can be told to watch a network
statistic and notify a network management station if a
threshold is crossed, that operation is considered an
alarm limit or threshold function
There are two types of alarm limit or threshold
implementations available in most LAN switches:
1.RMON Alarm and Events: any RMON version 1 –
complaint network device implementing groups 3 and 9
has the capability to watch for network events
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Configuration of Automated Management Tools
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
2. Vendor-Specific Thresholds: Most vendors have
proprietary monitoring functions that watch a fixed set of
statistics on the devices ports. The statistics monitored
are usually focused on the traffic and error rates of
individual ports
To use these alarm limits and thresholds tools, the usual
configuration requires several parameters listed below:
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Parameter Description
Statistics This parameter defines what statistic should be watched. When configuring with RMON
alarms, the choice of statistics usually includes all MIB values in the device.
Threshold This is the value the statistics must reach for this alarm to be activated. This value is time
dependent, based on the next parameter. If the network has been properly baselined,
the values to be used here will be known.
Time frame This value defines how often a statistic should be sampled to determine if an alarm
threshold has been reached.
Type of threshold Usually, alarms are configured to be triggered if a value exceeds a certain level. In RMON
alarms it is possible to also configure falling alarms to watch for statistical values
below a defined level.
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Configuration of Automated Management Tools
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
Switches in the core of the network will focus on watching
for excessive backbone link traffic levels
A switch in the periphery area of the network may be more
concerned with monitoring broadcast rates to protect
against excessive broadcast rates generated from an
attached device or segment
RMON History
It is used extensively in the network baselining process
In this role it provides a historical view of the network capacity
and allows the network administrator to understand growth
patterns and potentially disruptive error and broadcast rates
This tool can also be used in conjunction with the alarm
limits discussed previously to provide more information
about the network if an alarm is triggered
When configuring RMON histories for use as a tool to examine
the network following an alarm, choosing an appropriate
duration is critical
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Configuration of Automated Management Tools
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
The general rule is to use a duration a few hours longer than the
average response time the support staff spends identifying the
problems
In most network support roles, network problems are detected
either via an alarm in a network management system or a call
from an end user complaining about network connectivity
Once the alarm is seen or a call is received, the support staff
begins the process of diagnosing the real issue
The support staff will need to determine if network statistics
indicate an obvious issue, such as a high error rate or
excess broadcast level
The RMON history is an excellent tool for this examination
In order to successfully use the history, it should collect data
for at least a few hours longer than the time it takes to
detect a problem and begin the information gathering
process
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Configuration of Automated Management Tools
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
Statistics Logging Applications
In addition to the RMON history groups, any one of various
vendors’ statistics logging tools can be configured to assist in
the automated management of a switched network
These tools are usually included by default in all major
network management applications, such as SunNET
Manager, Hewlett-Packard OpenView, Cabletron Spectrum for
Open Systems, and IBM NetView 6000.
Each of these network management platforms allows any MIB
variable to be polled periodically and logged to a database
That information can then be used to produce reports and
graphs regarding that statistic
In the process of automating the management of a switched
network, the gathering and observation of critical information is
vital
If critical statistics are constantly observed, major changes in
those network values can be observed before the change is
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Configuration of Automated Management Tools
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
damaging to the network operation
The two major areas of statistics that may require logging
beyond the basic RMON segment histories are device operation
statistics and additional network segment statistics
Device operation statistics are the MIB values on a
particular network devices such as a server, switch, or
gateway that defines its current condition or capabilities
Additional network segment statistics are MIB variables on
switches and probes that define additional network-specific
statistics, such as protocol breakdown, frame size
distribution, and address count
Since each device will have a proprietary MIB, there is no
common value that can be used to observe all critical statistics.
The following table lists some typical device and network
statistics that should be logged on the network
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Configuration of Automated Management Tools
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
Sample Statistics to Be Logged
Statistic Devices Description
Average CPU Servers, routers Polling a server or router for average CPU load is an excellent gauge of
load the operation of that device. Since servers and routers are primarily
software-driven devices, extremely high average CPU load could be
an indication that they are unable to perform their specified tasks.
User count Servers On servers with a specified number of licenses, monitoring the current
user count is critical to prevent a situation in which authorized users
are unable to attach to that server. By watching the user count on the
servers over time, proper decisions can be made regarding
increasing the user license on a particular server before the
maximum user limit is reached.
SAT size Switches On traditional LAN switches, the source address table should be
monitored to determine the number of active users on the switched
network. Generally, only a few switches should be logged, since the
size of the SAT will be almost the same on all switches in complex
networks.
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
HP OpenView Network Node Manager
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
SunNET Manager
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Configuration of Automated Management Tools
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
Automated Management Tools Implementation Process
In order to get to this stage of automated switched network
management, the steps shown in the following figure should be
followed:
T=0 Step 1: Configure RMON history, HostTopN, statistics, and
contact logging on all switched areas. This will begin
the data gathering process.
T = 1 Week Step 2: Extract first week’s data from all devices. Using this
information, produce graphs indicating utilization and
error rate of each segment, overall broadcast and
multicast rates top 20 traffic, broadcast and multicast
generators, and contact status of all switches.
T = 1 Week Step 3: Determine alarm limit values from graphs produced in
step 2. Set alarm limits from rising and falling
thresholds on each statistic. Set short-term RMON
history and set logging for any other critical
information.
T = 4 Week Step 4: Watch for any alarms. If alarms triggers, determine if
it is a false alarm. If the alarm did not indicate a
failure, adjust the rising or falling threshold values to
prevent repeat alarms. When no false alarm are seen,
alarm limits have been properly configured and calibrated.
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Troubleshooting Switched Networks
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
Troubleshooting Tools
Even the most soundly designed and built networks will
eventually experience some type of failure
Without total control, a variety of disruptive or faulty devices can
be added to the network by the user community
It is important to recognize that sooner or later the system
administrator will have to troubleshoot a problem affecting
network operations
This section is focused on the processes and tools that will
allow identified network related problems to be resolved
There are many specific tools that can be utilized to
troubleshoot switched networks
Each tool provides some level of information that can identify
causes of network-related failures
LAN analyzers:
All LAN analyzers are designed primarily to monitor network
segments, capture the traffic, and decode the packets into
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Troubleshooting Switched Networks
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
usable form. Most are able to recognize well-known types of
failures and provide a summarized symptom report
describing a possible cause of this failure.
RMON:
The RMON statistics and history groups are most useful
in troubleshooting faulty network segments, while
the host, HostTopN, and matrix groups are best used to
identify end-system-related issues
In most situations, RMON can be used as the primary
troubleshooting tool when network connectivity is failing
Other MIBs:
While RMON is a very good standard MIB for segment
and network analysis, most vendors of networking
hardware will support a very comprehensive set of
proprietary and standard-based MIBs
These MIBs will provide a variety of information
related to other areas of network operation
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Troubleshooting Switched Networks
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
Network maps:
A comprehensive physical and logical map of the
network is an invaluable troubleshooting tool
This type of map can be in the form of the view of a
network management software interface or can be CAD
drawings of the network connectivity
If a good map of the network is available, it is usually
possible to determine if the failures on a network
have some common element
Using these tools, the network support personnel should be
able to execute a variety of troubleshooting processes
This set of tools could be considered the basic toolkit of the
network support person
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Quick Review Question
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Example: RMON
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
RMON: Remote Monitoring
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Example: RMON
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
RMON: Remote Monitoring
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Examples: Rising and Falling Threshold
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
RMON: Remote Monitoring
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Example: Network Map
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
Network Map: LANState pro
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Example: Network Map
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
Network Map: Network Map
AutoDraw
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Summary of Main Teaching Points
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Question and Answer Session
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
Q&A
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
References for Figures used
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
• Lammle T, (2007) CCNA Study Guide, Sybex
• Odom S, Nottingham H (2002), Cisco Switching Black Book:
A Practical in Depth Guide to Configuring, Operating and
Managing Cisco LAN Switches, Paraglyph Press.
• John J. Roese, (1998) Switched LANs, McGraw-Hill
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
Next Session
Troubleshooting and Maintaining Switched LAN(II)
• Additional vendor enhancements to
LAN switches: Virtual LANs
CT032-LAN Switching and WAN Networks
