Troubleshooting Network Connectivity As an IT professional, one of the most common problems you encounter is computers not being able to connect to one another, to other internal networks within your organization, or to the Internet. In this section, you look at general troubleshooting tools that help you debug network connectivity, as well as the Windows Network Diagnostics tool. Basic Troubleshooting Connection problems can have many possible causes. In wired networks, a cable could be faulty or might not be connecting properly to its socket. Interfaces that should get their IP configurations dynamically could be set with a static configuration. Where two or more interfaces form a network bridge, one or more interfaces could have been removed from the bridge. In the enterprise environment, a DHCP or DNS server, or even a domain controller, might have developed a fault (although there is typically a failover mechanism in this situation). A firewall might be misconfigured. On a small network, ICS might be set up incorrectly or not set up at all. A third-party WAP could have been added to a wired network so that wireless computers can connect, but the computer previously configured to provide ICS might not be reconfigured to obtain its configuration from the WAP. A WAP, network adapter, or modem could be faulty. Your ISP could be suffering an outage. Newly installed software might have changed your connection properties. The list is practically endless. First principles always apply. Start with the network and ensure that no cables have been pulled out or are halfway out and causing unreliable connections. Make sure all the appropriate light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the modem, WAP, and network interfaces are lit when they should be lit and flickering when they should be flickering. If a device shows no sign of life, check that its power supply is connected to a power socket and to the device. Check out any illuminated red LEDs. A red light does not always indicate a fault, but red frequently signifies danger. If you are having problems with wireless connections, try switching the WAP off. You should then power down any computers that connect to the WAP through Ethernet cables and possibly your wireless computers as well. Wait a few minutes, switch the WAP back on, and restart the computers. If you suspect the modem, switch off the modem, the WAP, and all network computers and then turn them on again in that order. Check the WAP settings.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 10:18:52 +0000
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