Network Maintenance and Troubleshooting Guide: Field Tested Solutions for Everyday Problems, Rough Cuts, 2nd Edition

Description

• Copyright 2010
• Dimensions: 7-3/8 X 9
• Pages: 576
• Edition: 2nd

• Rough Cuts
• ISBN-10: 0-321-64768-8
• ISBN-13: 978-0-321-64768-9

This is a working draft of a pre-release book. It is available before the published date as part of the Rough Cuts service.

Network Maintenance and Troubleshooting Guide

Field-Tested Solutions for Everyday Problems, Second Edition

Neal Allen

The 100% practical, real-world guide to anticipating, finding, and solving network problems—fast!

Real-life networks don’t always behave “by the book.” Troubleshooting them requires practical intuition that normally comes only with experience. In this book, Fluke Networks’ Neal Allen brings together all that hard-won, hands-on insight: everything you need to discover what’s really happening in your network, so you can anticipate and fix problems before users even notice them.

Writing for network technicians and administrators at all levels, Allen presents an approach to troubleshooting that has been proven in networks of all kinds, no matter how complex. He introduces indispensable triage and troubleshooting techniques for everything from copper and fiber cabling to IPv6, and presents unparalleled guidance on identifying and resolving problems at the MAC Layer. He illustrates his advice with diagrams, tables, and screen captures from Fluke Networks’ market-leading instruments. Throughout this book, Allen also offers practical summaries of each of today’s core networking technologies, making it an ideal complement to any network certification study guide.

Coverage includes

• Using the OSI model to more efficiently troubleshoot networks layer by layer
• Copper and fiber-optic cabling: theory, operation, and troubleshooting
• Media Access Control (MAC) Layer: Ethernet theory and operation
• Identifying and resolving problems related to IPv4 and IPv6 protocols
• Preventing problems before they occur
• Discovering device behavior
• Troubleshooting switches
• Using a protocol analyzer more successfully
• Creating network documentation that helps you more efficiently prevent and resolve problems

Road tested by thousands of Fluke Networks customers, this book’s first edition became the best-kept secret resource for sysadmins, netadmins, and support technicians fortunate enough to discover it. Now, Allen has thoroughly updated his classic for today’s networks. If you’re responsible for maintaining one of those networks, you’ll find this new Second Edition even more indispensable.

Neal Allen is a senior staff engineer in the Fluke Networks’ Technical Assistance Center (TAC) focusing on escalated problems. He has been involved in designing, installing, and troubleshooting networks for nearly 20 years. Allen has served on Interop’s trade show Network Operations Center (NOC) team since 1993, troubleshooting show-floor problems at the Las Vegas and Atlanta Interop trade shows, and helped support and troubleshoot the network for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. His responsibilities currently include product feature specification and beta testing, remote and onsite problem solving, and providing training and sales support worldwide.

informit.com/aw

Cover design by Louisa Adair

Cover photography from Image Source / Getty Images

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Sample Content

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Using the OSI Model

Quick Tour of the OSI Model

Seven Layers of the OSI Model

    Layer 7: Application Layer

    Layer 6: Presentation Layer

    Layer 5: Session Layer

    Layer 4: Transport Layer

    Layer 3: Network Layer

    Layer 2: Data Link Layer

    Layer 1: Physical Layer

Networking Devices and the OSI Model

    Repeaters

    Bridges

    Routers

    Switches

    Switch Forwarding Techniques

Common Networking Tools

    Network Management Tools

    Protocol Analyzers

    Handheld Network Analyzers

    Cable Testers

    Flow Protocols

Summary

Chapter Review Questions

Chapter 2: Copper Media

Standards

Basic Cable Uses

Test Parameters

    Basic Tests and Parameters Required for In-Channel Testing

    Basic Frequency-Based Test Parameters Related to In-Channel Testing

    Advanced Frequency-Based Test Parameters Related to In-Channel and External Testing

    Other Commonly Referenced Test Parameters

    Test Configurations

What Should Be Tested?

Grounding and Shielding Cable

Summary

Chapter Review Questions

Chapter 3: Fiber Optic Media

Safety

    Light

    Glass

Standards

Fiber Optic Cable Design

    Fiber Cable Construction

    Cable Construction

    Connector Types

Test Parameters

    Field Testing Parameters

Light Behavior

    Dispersion

    Modal Bandwidth

    Critical Angle

    Bending Fiber

    Graded Index

    Light Sources

    Launch Conditions

    Mandrels

    Mode Conditioning

    Absorption

    Fresnel Reflections

    Fiber Termination Polish

    Fiber Alignment Errors and Manufacturing Flaws

Testing Practices and

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Updates

Submit Errata

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