Networking - Network Connectivity Issues Incident

Introduction:

Network connectivity is vital for any system, and incidents related to failed or intermittent network connectivity can disrupt operations and impact productivity. As a network administrator, it is essential to promptly address such incidents. In this blog post, we will explore how to handle network connectivity issues using Linux commands and network emulation with tc.

Step 1: Understanding Network Connectivity Issues

Network connectivity issues refer to situations where a system experiences difficulties in establishing or maintaining connections to other network devices or services. These issues can lead to slow response times, dropped packets, or complete network outages.

Step 2: Pre-Incident Task - Network Emulation

Before addressing the actual incident, you can use network emulation to simulate the network conditions and observe the impact on connectivity. Create a shell script (net-script.sh) to set network emulation using the tc command:

#!/bin/bash
sudo apt-get install iproute2
sudo tc qdisk add dev enp0s3 root netem delay 250ms
sudo tc qdisk add dev enp0s3 root netem loss 1%
sudo tc qdisk add dev enp0s3 root netem corrupt 0.2%
:wq

Save the script, make it executable, and run it:

chmod +x net-script.sh
./net-script.sh

Step 3: Post-Incident Task - Network Connectivity Testing

After setting network emulation, test network connectivity using the ping command to specific destinations:

ping -c 5 172.20.0.239
ping -c 5 172.20.0.1
ping -c 5 172.20.0.2

Step 4: Compare Output Latency & Errors

Compare the output of the ping command to observe the latency and the number of errors in the network emulation. Higher latency and packet errors indicate potential network connectivity issues.

Conclusion:

Addressing network connectivity issues promptly is crucial for maintaining a stable and reliable network infrastructure. By using Linux commands like tc for network emulation and the ping command for testing, network administrators can effectively identify and resolve network connectivity incidents, ensuring smooth network operations and optimal communication between devices.

Regularly monitor network performance and take necessary actions to prevent or mitigate network connectivity issues.