Network Uptime

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- Spring Cleaning -
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It's June! Springtime is in the air! Ok, Summer is in the air. I'm always just a little behind in my schedule, so the spring cleaning of my network always happens during the Summer. Most folks take their vacation during the Summer, and many companies go into 'slow mode.' It's a perfect time to clean the network from top to bottom!

The physical plant is the most visible (and perhaps the most important) part of the network! Unfortunately, it's easy to be messy when you're in a hurry during the rest of the year. An investment in cable ties (I like the velcro flavors) can create a better view and a more secure physical layer.

The network foundation is the next area to get a shine. Updated topology maps, freshened IP address databases, and a firewall rule audit are all due for a good washing. If you don't take advantage of this down-time, you'll be sorry during the busy holiday season. Or Winter. Or later. You know what I mean.

- James Messer
Editor, Network Uptime
James@NetworkUptime.com

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- Uptime Update -
Protocol Analysis on a Switched Network
Part 3 - Using Network Taps to View a Switched Network
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We've discussed using hubs to provide a look into a switched network, but the use of network 'taps' have been overlooked by most organizations. Like hubs, taps are put in place by breaking the network connection, and are placed into the network prior to problems occurring. Although copper taps are available, many taps in today's networking environments work with fiber.

Network taps are a great solution for environments that need immediate analyzer access to a switched device. These taps can also be located between switches, allowing an analyzer to gather information between major connections of the network.

In some environments, fiber splitters are a better choice for connectivity. Fiber splitters are similar to taps, but are completely passive (no power requirements). Fiber splitters also divide the light into two separate channels, which takes signal strength from one fiber and divides it into two (or more) fibers. When using a fiber splitter, make sure the 'light budget' allows for splitting a percentage of light from the main connection.

To find out more about network taps and fiber splitters, check out these web sites:

http://www.milan.com
http://www.amp.com/fiberoptics/pd.html
http://www.netoptics.com

(These sites are listed for reference, and have no affiliation with Network Uptime or any Network Uptime sponsors)

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Network Uptime Surf Report
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IEEE OUI and Company_id Assignments
http://standards.ieee.org/regauth/oui/index.shtml

The IEEE coordinates the use of Organizationally Unique Identifiers for 802-based network cards. An OUI is a 24-bit globally unique assigned number that is referenced in many networking standards. If you have the MAC address for a network card, the first three bytes are the OUI. This web page allows for online searches, or download the entire public OUI listing! For those interested, you can have your own OUI assigned for $1,250! Major credit cards accepted. :)

==== Network Uptime Management Tip What's my MAC? ====

Ever need to know the MAC address of your protocol analyzer? One quick method is to disconnect the analyzer from the network, start a capture session, and ping the analyzer. The resulting capture will display the ICMP packets, which contain both the IP address and the MAC address of the analyzer. This can help for identification of the network card, and for assistance with MAC address filtering!

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==== End of Network Uptime ISSN: 1529-6938 Issue 02 00 00 00 00 06 00 01 (c)2000, NetworkUptime.com, Inc. http://www.NetworkUptime.com ====