IT Broadcasting, an Austin, Texas-based company, provides video-on-demand to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Network problems spell trouble for any business -- even videos-on-demand can get fuzzy. That's why network testing tools have become an integral part of IT Broadcasting's daily systems management routine.
"There have been many times when testing tools saved the day," said Ann Margaret Howard, President of IT Broadcasting. By implementing probes on her network, Howard was able to identify an improperly configured router within six minutes, and, perhaps most importantly, before any users experienced downtime.
"We broadcast live events, and we also have content available on-demand," explains Howard. "All the work we do is reliant on the network and it is very important to know if there will be a problem that will affect the network."
Testing tools not only identify problems on your network, they can also help IT organizations achieve a return on investment (ROI), according to Jon Oltsik, Principal of Acton, Mass.-based research firm, Hype-Free Consulting.
"Businesses can definitely see an ROI impact by using network tools and products," said Oltsik. "Companies using these products on their networks are experiencing an increase in user productivity, higher availability and even improved employee morale."
Network testing products fall into two basic categories: active and passive. Where passive products monitor activity on the network, active products employ the network as a means to provide feedback about functionality.
Passive products typically watch traffic on the network from a single point, like someone standing at a corner watching vehicles move through an intersection. Such systems allow users to drill down to specific information. Sniffer, from Network Associates, Inc., is an example of a passive monitoring product.
Other passive products, such as remote network monitoring (RMON) probes, watch traffic from multiple points along the network. Companies like 3COM and SolCom Systems produce RMON probes.
"While products like Sniffer are relatively simple to install, probes are not," explains Dennis Drogseth, Vice President of Enterprise Management Associates, a Boulder, Colo.-based research firm. "They can be expensive and time consuming to install." On the upside, probes do have the capability to capture more data, according to Drogseth.
Probes and agents allow network administrators to monitor the movement of packets across the network, illustrating the time it takes to move from one point to another and often assisting in isolating problems on the network. According to Oltsik, some systems are designed to even single out the performance of individual applications on the network.
More and more, networking professionals are depending on network probes to help them better understand their network. Brent Barker, a network system security analyst with ViaSat, a satellite communications company, adds that probes have enabled him to identify and troubleshoot problems before users are impacted.
Beth Weibusch, Director of Computer Support for the University of Wisconsin, Madison agrees. By having probes on her network, Weibusch says she now has a head start on fixing problems and working out network kinks before they become significant issues.
Probes and agents are also equipped to monitor and troubleshoot on local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs). When a connection to a remote island site went down, Mike Ford, a network engineer with the Multistate Providence Health System, was able to help his ISP determine exactly where the problem was by using a probe on either end of his connection and getting his WAN connection back up.
While it is important to understand the difference between these network-testing approaches, Drogseth suggests the key is to remain flexible. There are many tools available and it is important to take the time to find the most appropriate one for your network needs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
>> Best Web Links: Network Performance Issues
>> Additional networking advice from the team of SearchNetworking.com site experts
