In the world of Information Technology, maintaining a stable, high-performing network is an ongoing challenge, especially as networks scale and become more intricate. While it’s easy to defer maintenance until an emergency arises, such “crisis-only” approaches lead to preventable outages, costly repairs, and lost productivity. Effective maintenance must be proactive, not reactive, catching signs of network degradation before they result in downtime. This strategy, akin to “eating the elephant one bite at a time,” prioritizes manageable, daily efforts to stabilize and optimize the network.
Why Proactive Maintenance Matters in Networking
Networks are made up of routers, switches, firewalls, servers, and connections, all of which are vulnerable to wear, configuration drift, and software vulnerabilities. Waiting until a full-blown outage forces attention to these components is like patching a dam after it’s burst. By contrast, proactive maintenance identifies and resolves minor issues as they appear, avoiding the domino effect of cascading failures. A well-maintained network reduces latency, enhances security, improves user experience, and ultimately prevents the large, disruptive outages that can cripple business operations.
Signs of Network Degradation | The Silent Warning Bells
Most networks exhibit warning signs before failure, but these indicators can be easy to miss without a proactive approach. Degradation can show up in many forms:
Increased packet loss on specific interfaces, leading to poor connection quality.
Rising latency and jitter in application performance.
Climbing error rates in transmission, indicating potential hardware or configuration issues.
Unexpected reboots or frequent disconnects in network devices.
The key to catching these early is to have visibility into the network’s health via a Network Management System (NMS).
The Role of a Network Management System (NMS)
A robust NMS is central to proactive maintenance. By continuously monitoring devices and interfaces, an NMS highlights performance issues, error rates, and trends in real-time. For example, if the top interfaces with the most errors or dropped packets are displayed daily, IT staff can focus their efforts on addressing these pain points in small, manageable increments. Over time, this “bite-by-bite” approach results in a more stable, resilient network, reducing the need for costly, urgent repairs.
Example | NMS Prioritizing Error-Prone Interfaces
Let’s say an NMS reports that Interface 1/0/3 on a core switch consistently shows a higher-than-average error rate, while Interface 1/0/5 occasionally experiences packet drops. These errors might not be causing immediate issues yet, but if left unattended, they could compound and lead to a network slowdown or failure. By setting a goal to address the top error-prone interface each day, an IT team can steadily tackle these small problems, ensuring they don’t grow into larger crises.
Step-by-Step | Proactive Maintenance to "Eat the Elephant"
Identify Problem Areas Daily: Start each day by reviewing the NMS for interfaces or devices with high error rates, packet loss, or latency spikes.
Set Priorities: Focus on addressing one or two top issues each day. These could include adjusting a misconfigured interface, replacing a deteriorating cable, or addressing a firmware update that’s overdue on a critical device.
Plan Maintenance Windows: Schedule regular maintenance windows that cause minimal disruption to the network. This could mean planning interface updates after hours or replacing aging hardware during a slow period.
Document Fixes and Trends: Document each fix to create a history of network health improvements. This historical data is valuable for spotting recurring issues and trends, allowing for more strategic planning in the future.
Evaluate and Adjust: As errors on specific interfaces decline, re-evaluate the NMS reports to adjust focus. New areas may become more error-prone over time, so shift your attention accordingly.
Real-World Application | Reducing Latency in a Large Business Branch Network
Consider a large business with multiple offices connected over a WAN. The business has reported slow application performance, particularly during peak times. By using an NMS to monitor network health, the IT team notices that certain routers in high-traffic locations are reporting high packet loss and CPU utilization. Rather than waiting for a complete failure, the team uses proactive maintenance to address these issues incrementally.
Replacing Cables & Configurations: The first bite involves replacing worn cables and adjusting Quality of Service (QoS) settings on affected routers to prioritize critical application traffic.
Upgrading Hardware: The next priority involves replacing older hardware that’s near its capacity limit. By replacing one router each week, the team minimizes disruption while gradually strengthening the network.
Optimizing Routing Paths: Lastly, they adjust routing configurations to balance traffic more effectively across available paths, reducing the load on any single device. A suitable strategy here would also be to implement a SD-WAN such as the one available from Fusion!
Within a few weeks, the proactive approach results in noticeable latency improvements, reducing user complaints and improving application performance across the network.
Avoiding the "Crisis-Only" Trap
Network managers often face pressure to deliver quick fixes when outages occur, pushing proactive maintenance to the back burner. However, adopting a structured approach where error-prone interfaces are addressed daily can shift network management from reactive to proactive. The benefits include:
Cost Savings: Preventing major outages reduces repair costs, lost revenue, and unplanned overtime for IT teams.
Improved User Experience: Fewer interruptions mean a smoother experience for users who rely on the network for their daily work.
Greater Network Resilience: A stable, well-maintained network is less vulnerable to major issues, especially during high-traffic periods or when updates are applied.
Final Thoughts | Consistency is Key
Creating a stable network is a marathon, not a sprint. By “eating the elephant one bite at a time,” network teams can gradually address the root causes of network degradation, ensuring performance remains steady and outages are minimized. A proactive maintenance plan, backed by the insights from a capable NMS, is an investment in the network’s future health—one that pays dividends in uptime, efficiency, and user satisfaction. This steady, day-by-day focus on network health avoids crisis-driven responses, positioning the network to meet the demands of the business reliably.
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The Hub & Spoke | SD-WAN Blog
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