Network Performance Monitoring (NPM) in Networking

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Network Performance Monitoring (NPM) is a crucial aspect of IT infrastructure management, ensuring optimal network efficiency, security, and reliability. NPM tools track various network metrics to detect and resolve issues proactively.

What NPM Typically Monitors:

  • Bandwidth usage – Measures data flow to prevent congestion.
  • Network latency – Tracks delays in data transmission.
  • Packet loss – Identifies missing data packets affecting performance.
  • Jitter – Monitors irregular delays in packet arrival.
  • Uptime/Downtime – Checks availability of network devices.
  • Traffic patterns – Detects anomalies indicating security threats.
  • Application response times – Ensures smooth service delivery.

Popular NPM Tools:

  • SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor – Comprehensive network analysis.
  • PRTG Network Monitor – Real-time monitoring with sensors.
  • Nagios – Open-source infrastructure monitoring.
  • ManageEngine OpManager – Automated network management.
  • Wireshark – Deep packet inspection.
  • Cisco NetFlow – Traffic flow analysis.

Why NPM is Important:

  • Rapid troubleshooting – Quickly identifies bottlenecks.
  • Capacity planning – Helps scale network resources.
  • SLA compliance – Ensures service quality agreements are met.
  • Security enhancement – Detects unusual traffic patterns.

You Should Know:

Essential Linux Commands for Network Monitoring:

 Check bandwidth usage (Linux) 
iftop -i eth0

Monitor network traffic 
nload

Test latency (ping) 
ping google.com

Measure packet loss 
mtr google.com

Analyze network connections 
netstat -tuln

Capture packets with tcpdump 
tcpdump -i eth0 -w capture.pcap

Check active connections 
ss -tunap

Monitor real-time traffic 
bmon 

Windows Commands for Network Diagnostics:

 Check active connections 
netstat -ano

Test network path 
tracert google.com

Monitor bandwidth usage 
perfmon /res

Check packet loss 
ping -n 10 google.com

Flush DNS cache 
ipconfig /flushdns

Display network interfaces 
ipconfig /all 

Automated Monitoring with Scripts:

!/bin/bash 
 Monitor network uptime 
while true; do 
ping -c 1 google.com > /dev/null && echo "Network OK" || echo "Network DOWN" 
sleep 5 
done 

What Undercode Say:

NPM is the backbone of efficient IT operations, combining performance tracking with security insights. Implementing robust NPM solutions ensures minimal downtime, optimized traffic flow, and early threat detection. Future advancements may integrate AI-driven predictive analytics for smarter network management.

Expected Output:

  • Network metrics dashboard (e.g., PRTG, SolarWinds).
  • Alerts for abnormal traffic patterns.
  • Reports on uptime, latency, and packet loss.

Prediction:

NPM tools will increasingly leverage machine learning to predict failures before they occur, reducing manual intervention and improving reliability.

URLs for Further Reading:

References:

Reported By: Ahmed Bawkar – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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