How can you optimize WAN packet loss?

1 Identify the root cause

The first step to optimize WAN packet loss is to identify the root cause of the problem. You can use various tools and methods to monitor and measure packet loss, such as ping, traceroute, SNMP, NetFlow, or network analyzers. These tools can help you locate the source and destination of the lost packets, as well as the hop-by-hop performance of the network. You can also use synthetic or real user monitoring to evaluate the impact of packet loss on your applications and end users.

2 Reduce network congestion

Network congestion, which happens when the demand for bandwidth exceeds the available capacity, is one of the major causes of packet loss. To reduce network congestion, you may need to upgrade your network infrastructure and bandwidth to meet your current and future needs. Quality of service (QoS) policies can help prioritize and allocate bandwidth for important applications and traffic types. In addition, traffic shaping and load balancing can be implemented to distribute and regulate the traffic across multiple paths and links. Compression and caching techniques can be used to reduce the size and frequency of data transfers, while redundant and resilient network designs and protocols can help avoid or minimize network disruptions and outages.

3 Optimize your WAN protocols

Packet loss can also be caused by inefficient or incompatible WAN protocols, which are the rules and standards that determine how data is sent and received over the network. To optimize these protocols, you can use TCP window scaling and selective acknowledgments to improve performance and reliability in high-latency and lossy networks. Additionally, UDP-based protocols such as QUIC or RTP are suitable for real-time or streaming applications that can tolerate some packet loss but don’t need reliable delivery. WAN optimization or acceleration solutions like Riverbed or Silver Peak can also enhance performance and security. Lastly, VPN or SD-WAN solutions from Cisco or Fortinet can create secure and flexible WAN connections across public or private networks.

4 Troubleshoot and resolve packet loss issues

To optimize WAN packet loss, the final step is to troubleshoot and resolve any issues encountered. You can use ping or traceroute tests to verify the connectivity and performance of your network devices and links. Additionally, network analyzers or packet capture tools, such as Wireshark or tcpdump, can be used to inspect and analyze the data packets and identify any errors or anomalies. Network simulation or emulation tools, such as WANem or iPerf, can also be used to test and validate your network performance and behavior under different scenarios and conditions. Finally, network management or automation tools, like SolarWinds or Ansible, can be employed to configure and monitor your network devices and settings as well as apply any changes or updates. Following these steps can help optimize WAN packet loss and improve the performance and reliability of your WAN applications and services.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?