Over the years, thousands of tools have been developed for debugging TCP/IP networks. They range from very specialized tools that do one particular task, to generalized suites that do just about everything except replace bad Ethernet cables. Even better, many of them are absolutely free. There's only one problem: who has time to track them all down, sort through them for the best ones for a particular purpose, or figure out how to use them? Network Troubleshooting Tools does the work for you--by describing the best of the freely available tools for debugging and troubleshooting. You can start with a lesser-known version of ping that diagnoses connectivity problems, or take on a much more comprehensive program like MRTG for graphing traffic through network interfaces. There's tkined for mapping and automatically monitoring networks, and Ethereal for capturing packets and debugging low-level problems. This book isn't just about the tools available for troubleshooting common network problems. It also outlines a systematic approach to network troubleshooting: how to document your network so you know how it behaves under normal conditions, and how to think about problems when they arise, so you can solve them more effectively. The topics covered in this book include:

• Understanding your network

• Connectivity testing

• Evaluating the path between two network nodes

• Tools for capturing packets

• Tools for network discovery and mapping

• Tools for working with SNMP

• Performance monitoring

• Testing application layer protocols

• Software sources

If you're involved with network operations, this book will save you time, money, and needless experimentation.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 6 Ratings

Not worth the O'reilly name - 2002-03-20
Reviewer Rating:
This might be a decent reference book if it contained more detailed information. I am a junior in college and was required to read this book from cover to cover and it was extremely boring. Anything the author discussed could easily be learned from help files or a quick glance at the website the product came from. THe author uses the phrase 'this is beyond the scope of this book' just when he begins to talk about something you may not have already known.

In conclusion, this would probably be an excellent book for somebody just starting out using troubleshooting tools, but if you have had more then 6 months experience in the field you already know most of the topics he covers.

OK - 2003-04-19
Reviewer Rating:
Eh, book was okay, but didn't really flip my burger. If you want a nice primer on some of the software tools and commands that you can use for monitoring system performance, this book would probably be just fine. Could have used more graphics. Good for reading at bedtime or in your time off, but just a little too wordy looking if you're in the field actually trying to get something done.

Top Notch!! - 2002-01-25
Reviewer Rating:
If you only have the time to read or money to buy one book on TCP/IP troubleshooting, then make it this one! Chapter 5 alone is worth it's weight in gold!

Good coverage; worthwhile - 2002-03-27
Reviewer Rating:
I bot this book for a friend who is a Jr-Mid level network (Unix) admin., who needed advice on this topic. This book does cover all the necessary topics. It's understandable, not overwhelming, and, as the TOC shows, covers lots of useful, relevant topics. It's also very practical. Worth buying!

Pretty good - 2002-09-30
Reviewer Rating:
Could have covered more but was worth what you paid for. Not too shabby.

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