Troubleshooting Campus Networks: Practical Analysis of Cisco and LAN Protocols
Essential information on the successful troubleshooting of complex campus networksJust as a used car can seem to be in good condition to an inexperienced consumer, a network can also feign an appearance that all is running smoothly to the unskilled user. Upon closer examination, though, a true expert can discern when a network is a lemon. Network engineers, administrators, and technicians who manage Cisco and multivendor campus networks know how crucial it is to determine when a network has serious problems and what to do about them, particularly when that network spans buildings and consists of wired and wireless technologies. Known as campus networks, these networks connect tens, hundreds, or even thousands of users at businesses, universities, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. This informative book teaches the use of Cisco and industry-standard trouble-shooting tools to analyze, diagnose, and fix problems on modern switched and routed networks with information that is based on many years of analyzing real-world, diverse, and complex networks. Written by a pair of authors with over forty years of networking experience between them, this book discusses:* Techniques for using protocol analyzers, such as the WildPackets EtherPeek and AiroPeek products, to recognize and isolate faulty network behavior* The OSI Reference Model and the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)* How Ethernet and 802.11 wireless networks work and how to troubleshoot them when they don't* Spanning Tree Protocol, which is used on bridged and switched networks, and the configuration and troubleshooting of VLANs* IP addressing, IP routing protocols, TCP, and an overview of upper-layer TCP/IP protocols* Troubleshooting for Novell NetWare, AppleTalk, and Windows networking* WAN technology and trouble-shooting from the perspective of the LAN-oriented network engineer