Map-driven VoIP troubleshooting and design

Challenges

VoIP is one of the most challenging applications inside countless enterprises’ networks. Traditional network applications can tolerate a small amount of packet loss, variation of delay, or long delay, where voice traffic can not. Complex QOS have to be enabled across LAN and WAN, and key network nodes might have to be upgraded.

This comes with high management costs as troubleshooting choppy voice with IP phones is not a trivial task and often requires years of on-the-job training.

Solutions from NetBrain

NetBrain’s visual workbench can significantly lower the barrier for network engineers to deploy and troubleshoot VoIP networks. It can:

		Map out voice paths across a network
		Measure VoIP-related performance such as Delay, Jitter and Packet Loss across a live network
		Analyze VoIP-related design, including QOS, Dial-Plan, etc
		Provide VoIP-specific troubleshooting assistance

Map Out Voice Path across a Network

Leveraging NetBrain’s live discovery capability, Both L3 and L2 VoIP paths can be mapped out in a few seconds. For VoIP assessment, a traffic path can be computed via simulation based on configuration files.

L3 network diagramming and L2 network diagramming

Map Out Voice Path in L3 and L2

Measure VoIP Metrics Such as Delay, Jitter and Packet Loss

Select two Cisco routers along the VoIP traffic path and launch the IPSLA toolkit to emulate VoIP traffic across a live network. Real-time packet drop, delay and jitter can be collected for VoIP readiness analysis, or for voice quality troubleshooting.

use IP SLA to troubleshoot network issues

IPSLA Use Emulated Traffic to Measure Live Network

Analyze Network Design of VoIP

Simply zoom-in on the data-driven map to reveal network design such as routing, traffic filtering, etc. For VoIP related design, including advanced QOS and dial-plan configuration, use NetBrain’s Design Reader – a configuration analyzer based on customizable templates. Network consultants or senior network engineers will likely write their own design filters to help other people to understand enterprise-specific VoIP design

use Design Reader to analyze network design

VoIP and QOS Design is Analyzed via Design Reader

Speed up VoIP Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting can be sped up even further through the utilization of the customizable VoIP troubleshooting guide in the sample page of the NetBrain Design Reader. Network operational groups can receive on-demand help on what to do when troubleshooting such complex VoIP technology. NetBrain can further automate the execution of show-commands from its data-driven map.

Use Design Reader’s Sample Page to Guide Troubleshooting

Automate the Execution of Show-commands Across Multiple Devices