Anticipating Problems With Your IT Network

Every company will experience network problems at one point in time or another. Anticipating these potential problems can help to ensure that you fix them quicker and more easily.

Common problems can often be anticipated ahead of time and working to prevent or avoid them is the best way to reduce calls to the Help Desk and ensure a less bumpy experience. When we receive calls related to network issues the problems themselves tend to be similar in nature. This is because there are some common problems that can present themselves in any network environment.

One of the major and more frequent problems that occurs is "the duplicate IP address." This means that the address that the network uses when identifying specific network equipment or computers is duplicated for 2 or more devices. For a network to function properly each device needs its own unique IP address. Instructions on what to do or how to handle information are sent to each unique IP. Every single PC and laptop - possesses a unique IP address, but sometimes two devices may receive the same IP address as the result of an error. When this occurs, communication problems arise within the network and services may begin to stop working. When there is a duplicate IP within the network, it will often require a Systems Administrator or Network Engineer to change the address on one of the computer terminals in order to fix the problem.

It's a sad truth but sometime cabling and connections just simply go bad. Connections and connectors can break or go bad, or short out. If nothing appears to be physically damaged or disrupted, then cable testers can be utilized to test for other types of electrical and networking problems. These include connection problems, electrical shorts in the cabling, incorrect cable connections and the interference level.

Another common issue relates to connectivity. These issues can often be caused by the malfunction of connectivity devices, such as in the case of a switch, router/hub or can happen as the result of configuration changes on the same devices. Its wise to always look at the simplest possible solution first, like for instance, did you accidentally unplug yourself. (so check your physical connections). If something is disconnected, reconnect it, and see if the problem is resolved. If all connections are in order, work your way backwards, check that the port on the hub or switch to which the cabling is connected is on and working properly. There should be a green light on at the port site which indicates that the port is live and ready to connect. Similar testing can be done with other switches and routers. If there doesn't appear to be an issue with cabling, it may be that the equipment used to connect to the network needs to be reconfigured to accommodate any changes to the network.

The next thing to look at is potential software problems. Software issues can also cause networking problems. A variety of configuration problems may be at the root of the situation. Registry problems may also cause a networking issue, as well as a number of other software-related possibilities. Depending upon the cause of the problem, you'll need to either make configuration changes or, perhaps, reinstall a specific piece of the software that may have malfunctioned.

If you should find that your connectivity is lagging or running unusually slow, this may be a sign of excessive network collisions. A collision is the result of two devices on the same Ethernet network attempting to transmit data at exactly the same time. The network detects the "collision" of the two transmitted packets and discards them both. This is sometimes the result of a poorly planned network. Also these transmission lags can happen when a user ends up transferring an inordinate amount of information at one time, which floods the network. Network cards can also become stuck in the transmit mode which can also cause excessive network collisions. This can be easily detected because the transmission light will remain on meaning the network card is transmitting continuously. Removing the "jabbering device" can return some of the bandwidth to the network.

Having a well-planned out network, and engaging in active monitoring of your systems and network components can help to minimize any exposure your organization might have to these problems. Read More...

Considering Moving Your Company Into The 21st Century? You Need To Virtualize Your IT Systems

In 21st century, No organization around the world today - or in fact at any point in time - likes to feel as though they're not operating in the best way possible or aren't able to keep up with their competitors.

It doesn't matter whether you're a leader and innovator in the IT industry or you're a small, window cleaning company, it's imperative that if you're wanting to continue operating successfully in business, you need to be implementing new processes and staying at the forefront of your industry.

When it comes to those organizations within the IT industry (or with a strong IT focus), although people looking in might think that it's a particularly easy task to stay fresh and modern, as IT organizations have access to all of the latest technologies, it's actually extremely difficult to do so - if you attempted to take on board every recommended and available piece of software and technology available, you would require a dedicated department purely for the researching, development and implementation of new software and technologies.

There is one thing that every business who has a strong IT interest should be looking to implement, however and that's a virtual IT infrastructure.

In essence, having a virtual IT infrastructure that provides resource such as dynamic desktops and remote workspace management, for example, means that staff no longer have a requirement to work only from the office where they have access to every piece of software or every application that they require, or even from a laptop where they have access to some basic applications.

What having this type of virtualized IT environment does mean, when looking at dynamic desktops, for instance, is that each and every IT user can effectively access all of the applications and programs that they have installed on their desktop from wherever they have access to a suitable device - which can be a mobile phone - and an internet connection.

To some organizations, this might not mean that anything will change drastically, as staff are required to spend their time in the office.

However, when this virtual IT infrastructure is implemented, it gives organizations the ability to review their existing business processes and ask themselves a range of questions.

Do staff actually need to come into the office?

Do we now need an office of this size?

How much money can be saved if staff work from home?

How much will productivity increase by giving staff the freedom to work from where they want to?

Virtual IT infrastructures are the future of IT for businesses and although you might not have thought about it much yet, it's guaranteed that you will be thinking about it in-depth over the coming weeks and months.

Leading Edge Technology and Network Solutions are hosting a free-of-charge RES webinar on 18th October 2011 at 3.00pm (GMT), providing all attendees with a greater understanding of how RES Workspace Management and Automation can have a positive impact on various IT and business processes within their organizations. Read More...