How can you identify and troubleshoot network congestion using network traffic analysis tools?

A good way to frame the question could be "How can you identify and troubleshoot network congestion and other issues using a comprehensive automated network management solution?" This question allows the answering parties to explore various tools and techniques. My strongest preference is StableNet by Infosim.

When negotiating a salary in network engineering, exploring alternative compensation options can be a smart strategy to maximize your overall benefits package. Request bonuses tied to your performance or the company’s performance. This can be an annual bonus or specific project completion bonuses. Request the company to pay for certifications, courses, or conferences. This helps you grow professionally and adds value to your role.Negotiate for tuition reimbursement if you plan to pursue further education related to your field. Ask for flexible start and end times to better balance your personal life and work.Negotiate for the ability Ensure comprehensive health insurance is part of the package.

To identify and troubleshoot network congestion using network traffic analysis tools, start by monitoring bandwidth usage with tools like SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor or PRTG Network Monitor, looking for interfaces with high utilization. Analyze latency and packet loss using Ping and Traceroute. Check network device logs for congestion events. Review network flows with NetFlow or sFlow analyzers like SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer. Identify top talkers consuming bandwidth and analyze traffic patterns using Wireshark. Verify hardware performance and check for network bottlenecks. Update firmware/software, and implement traffic shaping/throttling with tools like pfSense or Cisco's features to manage bandwidth effectively.

To identify and troubleshoot network congestion, use tools like SolarWinds, PRTG, and Wireshark. Monitor traffic for high levels, spikes, and patterns. Analyze traffic with NetFlow analyzers to find bandwidth-heavy applications and users. Check latency with PingPlotter and response time tools. Inspect interfaces via SNMP for utilization and errors. Examine protocols and ports with Wireshark. Conduct packet analysis for anomalies. Review QoS settings to prioritize critical traffic. Address high-bandwidth consumers, identify bottlenecks, optimize traffic flow, update firmware, segment the network with VLANs, deploy load balancers, and review configurations

First, I assume the issue is negative perception by the end user community as it pertains to their ability to perform their job, based on "slowness", "availability", etc. I have always found one of the best ways to identify the cause of said congestion/latency would be to perform a dual sided packet capture. This would involve an agent, or a device being placed and/or integrated into the client itself and server resource (or one of many) they use most often. Being able to then analyze the capture using Wireshark, OpNet ACE, or other tools will provide insight into whether it is actual latency, inefficient app transactions (packet size, MTU, etc) or distance/client/server specific causes.

El análisis de tráfico de red es una tarea compleja pero esencial. Utilizando las herramientas adecuadas, monitoreando de forma continua, segmentando y priorizando el tráfico, y manteniendo un enfoque en la seguridad, es posible mantener una red eficiente y segura. Estas son las prácticas que sigo y recomiendo para cualquier profesional encargado de la gestión de redes.

Understanding Bandwidth Utilization Bandwidth utilization in networking refers to how much of the available bandwidth (data-carrying capacity) is being used. Similarly, when negotiating compensation, you can think of the total value (or "bandwidth") available for your compensation package, which can include more than just your base salary. Just as networks can burst to higher speeds temporarily to handle extra data, performance bonuses can provide extra compensation for achieving certain goals.Negotiate for bonuses based on meeting specific performance targets or project milestones. This could be a percentage of your salary or a fixed amount.

La utilización eficiente del ancho de banda es fundamental para garantizar un rendimiento óptimo y una experiencia de usuario satisfactoria. Me aseguro de monitorear constantemente el uso del ancho de banda utilizando herramientas como PRTG Network Monitor, que me permiten identificar los picos de tráfico y los puntos de congestión en tiempo real. Al analizar estos datos, puedo implementar estrategias como el balanceo de carga y políticas de QoS para priorizar el tráfico crítico, reduciendo así la posibilidad de interrupciones y mejorando la eficiencia general de la red.

Configurar QoS es una medida proactiva esencial para gestionar el tráfico de red de manera efectiva. A través de la identificación, clasificación, y priorización del tráfico, puedo asegurar que las aplicaciones y servicios críticos reciban el ancho de banda necesario para funcionar de manera óptima, mejorando así el rendimiento general de la red y la satisfacción del usuario. Sin QoS, sería un desafío mantener un entorno de red fluido y fiable, especialmente en organizaciones con múltiples aplicaciones compitiendo por el mismo ancho de banda.

In my experience: One of the most issue i facing in my job from manageing, migrating and troubleshoot different network solutions is the design. Bad network design can cost alot not only money but it can cost you your data, service interruptions, service availability. So it is better to design the network solution considering many points: - segmenting users according to department. - choose the best routing protocl that fits into your use case,don't use the most complex. -consider network redundancy and availability into your design. - also don't forget about security, but not too much as it will affects the traffic as well

Many monitoring tools aren't going to give you insight into what *kind* of degradation is happening for a given IP flow. Is it bandwidth constraint? Buffer drop? Latency? Queuing delay or starvation from a QoS policy? Frame level drops, checksum failure, etc.? Protocol analyzers are very useful in these situations. When using a protocol analyzer for TCP troubleshooting, watch for SACKs (Selective ACKnowledgements), duplicate ACKs, frozen TCP windows, and Fast Retransmits. Seeing these items in a packet trace (for example, Wireshark's SEQ/ACK Analysis packet detail) are signs that your network is experiencing congestion and/or packet loss. The type of issue decoded can help direct your troubleshooting approach.

It's is important to consider proactive monitoring. Example: Through reporting and monitoring network wan or internets links for a period of time you can predict that your bandwidth is enough or will be congested soon according to the utilization, or also it is more than enough and need to reduce the bandwidth. Example: consider uplinks between devices in the lan: - between core switch and/or distribution - between access switch and its uplink and keep monitroing the utilization all the uplinks also consider the number of users per segment and try get an average of needed bandwidth.

As Raul said, the best if you use a monitoring tool. On an enterprise network you will always get to the same point: identify application flows. Otherwise you are not able to protect them. You can do it manually (very tiresome to check CEF tables and similar outputs) or you can collect monitoring data (SNMP, Netflow). Latter one allows you to check trends and do historical analysis. If you know who is communicating with whom and when, you can build a strategy how to handle network traffic.