The All-New Switch Book: The Complete Guide to LAN Switching Technology, Second Edition

Chapter 16. Network Troubleshooting Strategies

There is no doubt that network troubleshooting can be one of the most challenging and time-consuming tasks that you will have to face in your network.^[] This is particularly true with so many catenets containing multiple vendor solutions, running multiple applications from other vendors, and utilizing protocols that sometimes do not want to work with other protocols.

^[] And you thought planning the network was thought!

One thing Jim has noticed in his many years of providing remote support to client networks is that far too often the clients have not deployed effective network management and troubleshooting strategies. This creates problems when problems have been created within the catenet, and the resolution often takes a tremendous amount of extra time that could have been saved if there was a strategy in use.

This chapter suggests strategies that you may want to develop to fit the needs of your network. No one knows your network better than you do, and no two networks are alike. Therefore, this is only an overview of possible strategies — you can use this chapter to assist in developing a strategy to serve your particular needs.

If you are already a troubleshooting Guru, you can jump to section 16.5 for the Layer 2 troubleshooting guidelines.^[]

^[] You can also skip this chapter if you are so inclined. Although we tried to make this as palatable as possible, there were times when we considered skipping the chapter.