Over the years, thousands of
tools have been developed for
debugging
TCP/IP networks. They range from very specialized
tools that do one particular task, to generalized suites
that do just about everything except replace bad Ethernet
cables. Even better, many of them are absolutely free.
There's only one problem: who has time to track them all
down, sort through them for the best ones for a particular
purpose, or figure out how to use them?
Network Troubleshooting Tools does the work for
you—by describing the best of the freely available
tools for debugging and troubleshooting. You can start with
a lesser-known version of ping that diagnoses connectivity
problems, or take on a much more comprehensive program like
MRTG for graphing traffic through network interfaces.
There's tkined for mapping and automatically monitoring
networks, and Ethereal for capturing packets and debugging
low-level problems.
This book isn't just about the tools available for
troubleshooting common network problems. It also outlines a
systematic approach to network troubleshooting: how to
document your network so you know how it behaves under
normal conditions, and how to think about problems when
they arise, so you can solve them more effectively.
The topics covered in this book include:
- Understanding your network
- Connectivity testing
- Evaluating the path between two network nodes
- Tools for capturing packets
- Tools for network discovery and mapping
- Tools for working with SNMP
- Performance monitoring Testing application layer
protocols
- Software sources
If you're involved with network operations, this book will
save you time, money, and needless experimentation.
Contents
Preface
1: Network Management and Troubleshooting
2: Host Configurations
3: Connectivity Testing
4: Path Characteristics
5: Packet Capture
6: Device Discovery and Mapping
7: Device Monitoring with SNMP
8: Performance Measurement Tools
9: Testing Connectivity Protocols
10: Application-Level Tools
11: Miscellaneous Tools
12: Troubleshooting Strategies
A: Software Sources
B: Resources and References
Index