Windows NT TCP/IP Network Administration

Diagnostic Tools

Because most problems have a simple cause, developing a clear idea of the problem often provides the solution. Unfortunately this is not always true, so in this section we begin to discuss the tools that can help you attack the most intractable problems. Most of the tools discussed in this chapter are software tools, but you should also keep some hardware tools handy.

You need enough simple hand tools to maintain the network’s equipment and wiring. A pair of needle-nose pliers and a few screw drivers may be sufficient, but you may also need specialized tools to maintain your wiring. For example, attaching RJ45 connectors to Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable requires special crimping tools. If you buy a network maintenance toolkit from your cable vendor, it will probably contain everything you need.

A full featured cable tester is also useful. Modern cable testers are small handheld units with a keypad and LCD display that test both thinnet and UTP cable. Tests are selected from the keyboard and results are displayed on the LCD screen. It is not necessary to interpret the results, because the unit does that for you and displays the error condition in a simple text message. For example, a cable test might produce the message “Short at 74 feet.” This tells you that the cable is shorted 74 feet away from the tester. What could be simpler? The proper test tools make it easier to locate, and therefore fix, cable problems.

A laptop computer is also a useful piece of test ...