What is Network Troubleshooting? How to Fix Network Issues

• Network Troubleshooting Definition

  Network Troubleshooting Definition

  Network troubleshooting in the process of measuring, identifying, and resolving network-related issues. It’s also defined as a logical process network engineers follow to improve the overall network operations.

  Troubleshooting is a repetitive, rigorous, and effective process that involves regular analysis and testing of individual network components to ensure smooth operations.
• Why is network troubleshooting important?

  Why is network troubleshooting important?

  Network troubleshooting is important as it helps IT managers understand network component issues, reduce downtime, and improve the network's Quality of Service (QoS) for users.

  With an effective and reliable network monitoring system, it’s easier to troubleshoot issues, identify network slowdown quickly, analyze latency metrics, trace packets, and more.

  Besides troubleshooting, network monitoring systems also help manage network configurations and monitor crucial metrics such as packet data and capacity to ensure smooth business-critical operations.
• Common causes of network problems

  Common causes of network problems

  There are several reasons why network issues arise, such as a sudden spike in network bandwidth usage, security breaches, faulty hardware, and in-app configuration changes. Outlined below are a few reasons for network issues:

  • High bandwidth usage: Higher bandwidth helps transfer data between devices over the internet faster. Downloading large files, shared folders, and video content creates congestion in the network due to high bandwidth usage. This leads to network slowdown issues.
  • Faulty hardware: One of the most common network performance issues is the malfunctioning of routers, switches, cables, and more. All devices on the network must be configured correctly and tested regularly to ensure the smooth functioning of the network.
  • High CPU utilization: CPU usage increases drastically when a larger number of network packets are received and sent throughout the network. A huge amount of traffic also overloads the network and requires high CPU utilization to execute the requests.
  • Poor physical connectivity: It’s crucial to test all cables, since defective cables can generate errors as they’re linked directly to the interface of the network equipment. Cable damage can also lead to packet loss and the reduction of the amount of data flowing.

  Network administrators use a variety of software to monitor and prevent network issues. Some of the most common software used for this purpose include network monitoring tools, security, configuration management, and change management tools. With these tools, network administrators can see what is happening on the network and identify potential problems before they cause downtime, damage and help to prevent downtime.
• How to troubleshoot network issues and best practices

  How to troubleshoot network issues and best practices

  Teams can streamline various processes and eliminate redundant efforts by following the network troubleshooting best practices outlined below:

  • Gather information: Gather information about the problems, such as who is experiencing what type of network performance issues, to diagnose and resolve the issues better.
  • Follow escalation framework: Having a clear escalation matrix helps you understand the issues better. It helps to connect with the right team or user who can assist in finding the root cause of the issue. 
  • Use monitoring tools: Network monitoring tools can help automate the identification, troubleshooting, and resolution of issues, which can save time and help teams be more efficient. Tools can provide relevant information about network issues and robust features to help improve your ability to troubleshoot network issues faster, such as helping you analyze network traffic patterns, visualize network paths, flag issues, and track the functionality of devices and nodes across hybrid and cloud environments. Some of these tools can also discover applications, networks, devices, and individual users accessing resources. Additionally, network troubleshooting tools can send instant alerts if network outages or performance issues occur.
• Basic network troubleshooting steps

  Basic network troubleshooting steps

  1. Check for local connectivity issues: The first step in troubleshooting network errors is to check cables, devices, switches, and routers for proper functioning. Teams can also try restarting devices such as the modem, PC, and router to resolve simple network issues. Another issue could be LAN connectivity. To identify and troubleshoot LAN connectivity issues, try to ping the destination IP and check configuration settings and source host.
  2. Rectify the duplicate entry of IP address: To check whether the computer is receiving a valid IP address or not, type "ipconfig" in the command prompt. If the IP address starts with 169, it’s receiving an invalid IP.
  3. Perform a DNS check: To determine server issues, use command “nslookup.” Results such as refused, timed out or server failure indicate the problem originates from the DNS server of the destination URL.
  4. Check malware protection: Check your malware protection tools to ensure they haven't flagged any application, program, or settings affecting network performance.
  5. Review logs: Reviewing logs is also one of the best ways to identify and troubleshoot network performance outages and issues. Logs provide elaborated information on each device, application, and program to help track the root cause of the issues.
• How can a network monitoring tool help you troubleshoot issues faster?

  How can a network monitoring tool help you troubleshoot issues faster?

  Network monitoring solutions include software and hardware tools to track and identify network performance issues, events, or outages. They can monitor network traffic, bandwidth usage, uptime, and more in addition to several other functions, such as:

  • Integrate with your network components: Monitoring tools can integrate with various devices and services such as routers, firewalls, switches, and VMs with the help of several protocols like packet sniffing, SNMP, and more. This integration allows admins to reconfigure devices quickly.
  • Capture metrics at specific intervals: Regular health and performance check-ups are crucial to ensure network, network components, and devices are performing flawlessly.
  • Support proactive visibility and troubleshooting: Monitoring tools include dashboards to help administrators view metrics collected from various applications and devices. They also provide elaborated reports consisting of current network status. This helps teams get proactive visibility into the network for faster troubleshooting.
  • Map the network: Network monitoring tools can automatically map devices linked to a network to gain performance metrics. This allows admins to get a clear view of ongoing or potential network issues.