Troubleshooting Network Problems

Big-time corporate networking is a complex, arcane topic that taxes the patience of all but the most dedicated wireheads (an affectionate pet name often applied to network hackers and gurus). There are so many hardware components to deal with (from the network adapters to the cables to the routers to the hubs) and so many layers of software (from the device drivers to the protocols to the redirectors to the network providers) that big networks often seem like accidents looking for a place to happen.

Home networks are much simpler beasts, and more often than not they work well right out of the box. That’s not to say that home networks are bulletproof—not by a long shot. If your network has become a notwork (some wags also refer to a downed network as a nyetwork), this section offers a few solutions that might help. I don’t make any claim to completeness here, however. Most network ills are a combination of several factors and are therefore relatively obscure and difficult to reproduce. Instead, I go through a few general strategies for tracking down problems and offer solutions for some of the most common network afflictions.