Troubleshooting Campus Networks: Practical Analysis of Cisco and LAN Protocols [Paperback]

Priscilla Oppenheimer (Author), Joseph Bardwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 2002

All network designers and administrators want their campus LANs to run efficiently. This book provides tips and techniques for using protocol analyzers and other tools to recognize problems for both Cisco and multiprotocol traffic patterns.
* Focuses on troubleshooting problems that arise from the Cisco routers inter-operating with many other network protocols
* Covers both legacy and cutting-edge technologies
* Authors are respected in the field for their teaching and training development skills in network troubleshooting

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Essential information on the successful troubleshooting of complex campus networks

Just as a used car can seem to be in good condition to an inexperienced consumer, a network can also feign an appearance that all is running smoothly to the unskilled user. Upon closer examination, though, a true expert can discern when a network is a lemon. Network engineers, administrators, and technicians who manage Cisco and multivendor campus networks know how crucial it is to determine when a network has serious problems and what to do about them, particularly when that network spans buildings and consists of wired and wireless technologies. Known as campus networks, these networks connect tens, hundreds, or even thousands of users at businesses, universities, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. This informative book teaches the use of Cisco and industry-standard trouble-shooting tools to analyze, diagnose, and fix problems on modern switched and routed networks with information that is based on many years of analyzing real-world, diverse, and complex networks. Written by a pair of authors with over forty years of networking experience between them, this book discusses:
* Techniques for using protocol analyzers, such as the WildPackets EtherPeek and AiroPeek products, to recognize and isolate faulty network behavior
* The OSI Reference Model and the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
* How Ethernet and 802.11 wireless networks work and how to troubleshoot them when they don't
* Spanning Tree Protocol, which is used on bridged and switched networks, and the configuration and troubleshooting of VLANs
* IP addressing, IP routing protocols, TCP, and an overview of upper-layer TCP/IP protocols
* Troubleshooting for Novell NetWare, AppleTalk, and Windows networking
* WAN technology and trouble-shooting from the perspective of the LAN-oriented network engineer

About the Author

PRISCILLA OPPENHEIMER, an independent computer networking consultant, has been developing data communications and networking systems since 1980. After years as a software developer, she became a technical instructor for Apple Computer, Network Associates, and Cisco Systems, teaching network troubleshooting and design.

JOSEPH BARDWELL is Vice President of Professional Services for WildPackets, a world-class provider of network analysis software. He has over twenty years of computer industry experience, is a network technology expert, and is the founding engineer of the Network Analysis Expert program.

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (July 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471210137
• ISBN-13: 978-0471210139
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #912,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Priscilla Oppenheimer was born in Michigan. She wrote her first "book" lying on the floor of her father's study when she was five years old. Priscilla got a BA in English from Kalamazoo College and an MS in Information Science from the University of Michigan. She survived one year on the south side of Chicago working as a computer programmer for the University of Chicago. September rolled around and she found herself contemplating another 35-minute walk to work in zero-degree weather, and moved to California. She flourished in Silicon Valley, working as a software engineer and technical instructor at Apple Computer, Network General, and Cisco Systems. After too many long commutes and missed dinners, she escaped to Ashland, Oregon, where she lives with her husband, Alan Oppenheimer, a creator of iPad apps, security software, and other strange inventions that only she has seen. Priscilla works in the computer networking field and continues to write, although she no longer lies on the floor to do so.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A myth-shattering, authoritative and enlightening title, April 3, 2003

By 

Richard Bejtlich "TaoSecurity" (Metro Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Troubleshooting Campus Networks: Practical Analysis of Cisco and LAN Protocols (Paperback)

I'm sad I waited so long to read this excellent book. "Troubleshooting Campus Networks" (TCN) was published in Jul 2002, and it belongs on every network administrator's shelf -- now! This is the best networking book since Scott Haugdahl's "Network Analysis and Troubleshooting" and Eric Hall's "Internet Core Protocols." TCN will truly test your networking knowledge; you'll quickly validate the truth and discard the fiction.

So many books discuss networks, but somehow distort subtle points. Authors Oppenheimer and Bardwell know their material inside-out and explain key points in clear, concise prose. Ever hear of the "37% utilization rule for Ethernet?" It's false. Think that TCP sequence numbers count packets? Wrong -- they count bytes of data. And why are sequence numbers seemingly "off by one?" Look at the difference between ordinal and cardinal numbers, described in ch. 9.

TCN displays an uncanny ability to include just the information that is needed. "Reversible half-ASCII," which accounts for odd-looking NetBIOS traces, appears in ch. 12. The sections on Windows networking are first-rate, with helpful comparisons of NetBIOS with IPX, TCP, and NetBEUI. Even theoretical but damaging attack methods, like corrupting Hot Standby Router Protocol messages (ch. 8), are illuminated.

I have two complaints. I would have liked more attention paid to the mechanics of analyzing traffic, including the use of taps. Also, the Windows chapter seemed to end abruptly, just when the dynamics of Windows 2000 networking and port 445 should have appeared.

TCN is designed to educate protocol analysts. People with this skill set can administer LANs, analyzer network-based IDS traffic, and deploy network infrastructure. I thank the authors for their efforts and look forward to their next endeavor.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super High Quality Book, August 22, 2002

By 

Dr. Peter J. Welcher - See all my reviews

This review is from: Troubleshooting Campus Networks: Practical Analysis of Cisco and LAN Protocols (Paperback)

I've been eagerly reading bits and pieces of my copy of this book ever since it arrived. The amount of highly accurate detail is incredible. I believe 90% of all network books are so sloppily written they're not worth buying. This book is clearly in the top 1% of well-written and informative books.

The book's style is also very clear and understandable. It passes my ultimate test: I can read it at 10-11 PM at night without falling asleep! Almost all of the formulas and binary are made accessible to those with high-school math skills. The book stays focused and contains references to other sources for details that aren't need-to-know or interesting.

Furthermore, the discussion contains valuable protocol and troubleshooting information, info that could be a big help to the
reader in solving real problems in their network. (Of course, a hierarchically designed network built per Oppenheimer's Cisco Press Top-Down Network Design book might not have such problems!)

The protocol analysis aspect also opens the reader's eyes to understanding common protocols and to possible protocol issues. If you don't have protocol analysis software, I hear good things about Ethereal, a free protocol analyzer package for Windows.

Finally, although the title doesn't mention Cisco, there is sample show command output from Cisco devices, also discussion of Cisco-specific information where necessary and appropriate. (The subtitle does include "Cisco" with "LAN protocols" after all.) The book clearly resists the temptation to, for example, pursue routing protocols too deeply, and stays focussed on the campus, providing a well-balanced coverage of troubleshooting for that setting.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fill in the holes of your swiss cheese knowledge base!, October 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Troubleshooting Campus Networks: Practical Analysis of Cisco and LAN Protocols (Paperback)

Many books have I read where authors speak of Ethernet or TCP/IP or other subjects. This book fills in the gaps without being too vendor biased. Cisco and WildPackets are excellent companies, but the book really focuses on enhancing your network to it's fullest. I learned that just because my network "works", there may be many things ready to break that had not been troubleshot before. Now I really feel able to properly "fix" my troubles and not just make my network magically work when there is trouble behind the scenes waiting for a Friday night to break.
The two authors have been in the industry since it's inception and bring a passion for networking to the table with a focus on teaching those of us who do not have 20+ years in the trenches.
This book is not only a reference book, but a well written, easy to read explanation of networking and troubleshooting. With real-life scenarios from the authors and practical situations played out. I felt as though I had a mentor walking me through the logical steps of analysis.
Buy reference books and keep them on your selves for when you need them. Buy this book, read it and keep it close because you will need it!