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Sams Teach Yourself Network Troubleshooting in 24 Hours
(Imprint: Sams)
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing)
Author: Jonathan Feldman
ISBN: 0672314886


Introduction: Getting Ready to Troubleshoot
Tell Us What You Think!
About the Author

Part I—Getting Your House In Order
Hour 1—The Telephone Analogy: Becoming Familiar with Basic Networking Concepts
Network Interface Cards
MAC Attack
Routers
Protocols
Parlez Vous TCP/IP?
Sprechen Sie DLC?
Hablas IPX/SPX?
Packets
What’s in a Name?
DNS
WINS
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 2—You Can’t Have Too Much Documentation, Money, or Love!
Navigating a Bad Network Neighborhood
Documentation Dividends
Logical/Functional Maps
Physical Maps
Device and Cable Labeling
Detail/Description Documentation
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions

Part II—“Black Box” Trouble-shooting Strategies
Hour 3—The Delta Method: Identifying Network Change
The Fat Finger Factor
Beware of Vendor
The Outsiders
The Risk/Benefit Ratio
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 4—The Napoleon Method: Divide and Conquer
The Numbers Game
Your Waterloo: The Network Is Down!
Segment Searching
Division of Labor
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 5—The Sesame Street Method: One of These Things Is Not Like the Other
Servers and Routers
User Objects
Keep It Simple
To Shotgun or Not to Shotgun?
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 6—The SOAP Method: Subjective Data, Objective Data, Analysis, and Plan
Doctor Network
Just the Facts
SOAP in the Real World
Is It a Virus, Doc?
Getting a Consultation
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 7—The Simple Simon Approach
Someone Has Already Solved Your Problem
Lookin’ for Support in All the Right Places
Something Techie Happened on the Way to the Forum
Pay to Play
Codependence
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions

Part III—The Care and Feeding of Network Appliances
Hour 8—Hard Basics: Guide to Being a Hardware Geek
The PC Thing to Do
The BIOS
Name Brand Versus Generic PCs
Plug and Pray
Dirty Deeds
Swap Session
The Cable Is the Network
Using a Multimeter
Out of Gas on the Information Superhighway
Windows
Doesn’t Do Windows
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 9—Ethernet Basics
Following the Rules: As Long As You Live Under Our Network…
Collisions
Framed and Fragmented
Go, Speed Racer, Go
100 Megabit Ethernet
Cabling Carnival
Down, Down, Down
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 10—Token-Ring Basics
Follow the Rules: Share and Enjoy!
Error Terror: When a NAUN Is Not a Person, Place, or Thing
Error Types
Token Analyzers
Let’s Get Physical
Packet Jacket
Down Town
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 11—Windows Networking Basics
Going Native
NetBEUI
Eminent Domain
TCP/IP Graffiti
DHCP
TCP/IP Name Resolution
Workstation Configuration
The Network Control Panel
Binding
Command and Conquer
winipcfg
Informational Commands
net
Friendly, Mon, Real Friendly
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 12—UNIX Networking Basics
Overview
Client/Server
Configuring UNIX
Friendly Daemons
Socket to Me
Name Game
nslookup
Pole Position
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 13—NetWare Networking Basics
NDS Networking
Das Basics
NLMs
Directory Doldrums
Your “Friend,” the ABEND
Big Monitor Is Watching
No Need to Fear; Monitor Man Is Here!
Protocol Problems
IPX/SPX
Server or Router
TCP/IP
The TCP Con Game
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 14—Router and Switch Basics
Theory and Practice
Configuring in Comfort
Router Theory
Routing Tables
A Couple of Milliseconds in the Life of Joe Packet
Those Dynamic Routers
Route in Peace: Routing Protocols
Checking Routes
Switch Theory
Wait and Switch
Broadcast News
Trees Save You
Tree Trunks
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 15—Firewall and Proxy Server Basics
Top Secrets
TCP Versus UDP
Packet-Filtering Routers
Packet Filter Improvements
Proxy Moxie
Proxy Type
Just Add Software
Configuring Your Proxy
Proxy Trouble
Same Name Game: DNS and Firewalls
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions

Part IV—In the Trenches
Hour 16—Beauty Is Consistency Deep: Saving Yourself Trouble
Manual Standardization
Power Tool Time
User Templates
User-Level Login Scripts
Organizational/Group-Level Login Scripts
Tricky Scripts
Microsoft Profiles
Send in the Clones
Protection Policy: Automatic Administrative Tools
Policies
App in a Snap
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 17—Where Do I Start?
Identifying the Fault Domain: “In the Beginning…”
Diving into Details
Socializing a Solution: Basic Call-Handling Techniques
Protocol Problems
TCP/IP
IPX/SPX
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 18—“Lots of Different People in Your Neighborhood”: In-Depth Application Troubleshooting
Service Definitions
File and Print Services
Client/Server Computing
The File and Print Blues
I Can’t Print!
File Pile
Client/Server Maitre d’
State of the Socket Address
Services with a Smile
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 19—Internet/Intranet Troubleshooting
Definitions
Intranet = Internal
Cyber Chaos
Internet Identification
Seven Years of Plenty…
Here I Ping Again
DNS Problems
Routing Problems
Intranet Troubleshooting
Your Web Server
Email Fail?
Dialing Difficulties
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 20—Network Troubleshooters Just Wanna Have Fun
Finding Your Firewall
Socks Stuff
AOL Instant Messenger
AOL NetMail
ICQ
RealPlayer
Game Strategy
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 21—Tell Me About Your Network: Network Analyzers
What the Heck Is a Network Analyzer?
Typical Operation
Net Therapy 101: Techniques for Using Your Analyzer
Cold-Filtered Ice-Brewed Packets
General Capture
Appropriate Analysis
Application Antics
Identifying a Station
Broken Ring
Limitations and Solutions
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 22—Who Watches The Watchmen? Network Management Tools
Big Monitor Is Watching
MIB: Men In Black? My Information Buddy? Mental Illness Bonanza?
RMON
Network Management Nonstandards
Real-Life References
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 23—The Network Is Slow! Getting a Definitive Answer to a Subjective Question
Limiting Factors
Bandwidth and Throughput
Latency
Application and Protocol Efficiency
Server Limitations
Measure Twice, Cut Once
Oversubscription
Server Out of Gas
Baselining
Automatic Baselining
Manual Labor
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Hour 24—Reverse-Engineering Somebody Else’s Network
Cable Tracing
TCP/IP Discovery
Router Configuration
Servers
Automatic for the People
TCP/IP Review
IPX/SPX Discovery
Summary
Workshop
Q&A
Quiz
Answers to Quiz Questions
Appendix A
Index