Lost packets alert indicates that communications with the internet either get no response or only get a partial response. As well as delays experienced by users, there is the possibility of processes hanging. If the internet is not responding, all traffic between the user and the external resource will halt. If missing packets, there will be an effect on application functionality and performance. The main effect on performance comes from packet retries which can significantly load the level of network traffic. As well, queries will have to wait for data, thus increasing the possibility of blocks, deadlocks, and will elevate page file activity as buffer pool space is locked.
Expected behavior :
Internet access should be continuous – the target ISP should respond to every ping. AimBetter will raise an alert if 12 pings in sequence fail.
Possible causes
Network load Priority: Medium
Recommended action :
Check network traffic loads with a network analyzer. If possible, move high-volume traffic (e.g remote storage, backups) onto a secondary network.
Incorrect network settings Priority: Medium
Recommended action :
Optimize the settings (DNS, IP change or card bandwidth) to improve network capacity. If necessary, upgrade to faster components wherever bottlenecks are occurring.
A connection is lost Priority: Medium
In cases of complete disconnection, when 12 packets have been lost in succession.
Recommended action :
Possible causes are:
– ISP failures
– Component failures (router, bridge, other hardware on the agent’s server)
Investigate whether other computers in the home domain have access to the internet. If only the server is reporting packet loss, check the physical environment, replace faulty components and restore network functionality.
Background
AimBetter communicates every 5 seconds with the internet target (google.com) via a ping command. The success of the ping and the time taken (latency) are monitored to assess the health of network connections to the internet. Note that this metric deals only with communications between the AimBetter agent’s server and the internet, not between server and users.
