What is a baseline and why is it important to create one?
2.
When troubleshooting network or server problems using the Network Monitor, and assuming you're not sure what exactly you're looking for, when should you configure your filters?
3.
What is the difference between using the Performance console's System Monitor and the Performance console's Counter Logs?
4.
Why can broadcast traffic become a problem on large or busy networks?
5.
What limitation is imposed on the version of Network Monitor that is included with Windows Server 2003?
Answers to Review Questions
1.
You need to create a baseline of the server performance that can be used to compare against the current performance statistics. You should create this baseline before making any changes and again after you've verified any changes made were successful. You need this baseline to locate problematic areas. This can be very useful when you're performing troubleshooting, and it also aids during periods when configurations are being modified. For more information, see the section "Creating Baseline Counter Logs."
2.
In cases when you are using the Network Monitor and you are not absolutely certain of the type of traffic or protocol for which you are looking, you will want to capture all traffic to or from the server and then filter it during the display phase. The downside to filtering traffic while capturing is that you will see only the traffic that meets the filter criteria. On the other hand, if you decide to filter traffic after the capture, you will be able to see all packets that traversed the server's network adapters, giving you the ability to examine the traffic in greater detail. For more information, see the section "Using the Network Monitor."
3.
When you use the System Monitor portion of the Performance console, you are monitoring and viewing performance statistics in real time for your server. When you use the Counter Logs portion of the Performance console, you are creating log files containing performance statistics for your server that can be played back at any time in the future. For more information, see the section "Creating Baseline Counter Logs."
4.
Because broadcast traffic is sent to all computers on a subnet, it causes excessive amounts of network traffic. Although some communications rely on broadcasts, such as ARP resolution and DHCP leasing, the majority of traffic does not need to use broadcasts. For more information, see the section "Using the Network Monitor."
5.
The Network Monitor version included in Windows Server 2003 can capture only traffic being sent to or from the specific computer on which it is installed. For more information, see the section "Installing Network Monitor."
