Good day Huawei Community!
If we were to summarize our esteemed Community members in one sentence, that would be 'passionate about Ethernet'. Otherwise, why did 'Ethernet' and 'loss of Ethernet services' come up at the top of the list of the most enquired for keywords on the Community in 2020?
Since we already discussed about Ethernet as a whole in one of our previous posts, it is now time to approach the other hot topic and to basically provide more information on how to troubleshoot the loss of Ethernet services. Check out the following sections to learn more about it!
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
As the Ethernet technology is defined in the previous Ethernet-related blog, I will go straight to explaining the loss of Ethernet services. Commonly known also as 'packet loss', the loss of Ethernet services is 'when packets get lost in transit during their voyage. Wi-Fi packet loss is likely to occur in private, wireless networks because when things are sent through the air, it’s easy for them to get lost or dropped' (DNSstuff.com).
In other words, when a large number of packets of the Ethernet service are lost, the Ethernet service is interrupted. Pretty straightforward, right? Let us discover below some of the most common causes driving the loss of Ethernet services.
COMMON ROOT CAUSES
There are quite a few situations when the loss of Ethernet services is inevitable. Please check out the most common causes below:
the traffic is large and the bandwidth is insufficient.
the bandwidth is sufficient but the burst traffic is large;
with large traffic, the opposite equipment does not respond to flow control;
the maximum length of the transmitted packet of the equipment is shorter than the actual length of the transmitted packet;
the port mode does not match the port mode of the opposite equipment, and thus the port works in the abnormal state;
network cables or optical fibers fail;
the board hardware is faulty.
TROUBLESHOOTING PROCESS
Now that we understand better what exactly causes the packet loss, the next logical step is to comprehend the actual process behind rectifying the loss of Ethernet services. Please find below the algorithm-like procedure for fixing the packet loss on a network.
Check the settings of the Ethernet port. The port mode of the equipment must match the port mode of the opposite equipment. Furthermore, if one end is in the fixed working mode, the other end cannot be in the auto negotiation mode. Additionally, the port rate of the equipment must match the port rate of the opposite equipment.
Query the RMON performance events and locate the fault according to these events.
Check whether the SDH-side service contains bit errors or have other problems that affect the transmission performance of the SDH side.
Check whether the service configuration is correct.
Check whether the connections of network cables or optical fibers are loosened.
Check whether the fault is rectified. If the fault persists, replace the ISU board.
THE BOTTOM LINE
In a world as connected as the one we live in, any interruption in the smooth operation of the network translates in money spent from an enterprise's own pockets and, even worse, dissatisfied customers.
Knowing how to troubleshoot the loss of Ethernet services should be an essential part of any network engineer's professional background, so I hope this blog has brought you some valuable knowledge. Don't forget to subscribe to the Community blog collection to be up to date with the latest technology trends!
