A.S EXPLAIN THE REASON WHY THE PERFORMANCE OF THE LOCAL AREA COMPUTER NETWORK MUST BE MONITORED.

B.IDENTIFY AND DESCRIBE TECHNIQUES USED TO COLLECT NETWORK PERFORMANCE DATA

1 answer

A. The performance of a local area computer network must be monitored in order to ensure that it is functioning optimally and efficiently. This is important for several reasons, including:

1. Proactive problem detection: By monitoring the network performance, potential issues or bottlenecks can be identified and addressed before they escalate and cause downtime or disruptions to the network.

2. Capacity planning: Monitoring the network performance can help in understanding the current usage patterns and trends, which can be useful in planning and optimizing the network capacity to meet future demands.

3. Security monitoring: Monitoring the network performance can also help in detecting any unauthorized access or suspicious activities, which can be indicative of a security breach.

4. Compliance requirements: Many organizations have compliance requirements that necessitate monitoring and reporting on network performance data.

B. Some techniques used to collect network performance data include:

1. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol): SNMP is a standard protocol used to collect and organize information about managed devices on IP networks. Network devices such as routers, switches, and servers can be configured to send SNMP messages to a central monitoring system, providing data on various network performance metrics.

2. Packet sniffing: Packet sniffing involves capturing and analyzing the network traffic passing through a specific point in the network. This technique can provide detailed information about the traffic patterns, bandwidth utilization, and network performance metrics.

3. Flow monitoring: Flow monitoring involves analyzing flow records generated by network devices to understand the traffic patterns and behavior on the network. Flow monitoring tools can provide insights into the top talkers, protocols, and applications consuming network resources.

4. Performance monitoring tools: There are several network performance monitoring tools available that can monitor various aspects of network performance, such as bandwidth utilization, latency, packet loss, and availability. These tools often provide real-time monitoring, alerting, and reporting capabilities to help organizations proactively manage their networks.

Overall, monitoring the performance of a local area computer network is essential for ensuring optimal performance, security, and compliance, and there are various techniques available to collect network performance data efficiently.