You may wonder what network testing is or what are the right tools for network testing. Let me answer your queries in this article. I will explain network testing and its tools with other important aspects in detail. To clear your network testing concepts, keep reading.
What is Network Testing?
Network testing involves evaluating and testing your network to detect and fix flaws. It helps to assess the impact of significant network modifications and quantify the network’s performance. The most reliable networks can still go down at any time.
That’s why it’s important to undertake network testing using Network Monitoring before and after any service migrations. You can also use testing after deployments each time an application or network device is added.
5 Core Components of Network Testing
There are other testing methods, but the following five constitute the core of every testing process:
1. Unit Tests
Unit testing refers to a stage in the software development lifecycle. At this stage, individual functional building blocks of a program are examined. You can do testing manually at the unit level, but it is often automated in Agile and DevOps environments.
2. Functional Tests
Complexity-increasing tests are used after integration tests have been executed. The term “functional testing” refers to evaluating a product’s features. That features to ensure they are fully operational and usable by the intended users.
3. Acceptance Tests
End-user satisfaction with a system is evaluated during Acceptance Testing. This test determines whether delivering the system to production is feasible by evaluating how well it meets the company’s needs.
4. Integration/System Tests
Integration testing is the portion of software testing in which separate software modules are joined and evaluated as a group. It follows unit testing but before functionality testing.
5. Regression Tests
Regression testing ensures that previously produced software continues to function as expected following modifications, such as those introduced by new features, regulatory mandates, bug patches, etc.
What Is Network Congestion?
Congestion in a network arises when the data trying to pass through is greater than the network can handle. Network congestion is often due to an unexpected increase in traffic and is just a temporary problem. But in other situations, a network may be chronically overloaded, suggesting a more serious issue. Learn how to fix network congestion.
Congestion in the network also plays a role in the following underlying problems:
· Increased Delay Time
When there is more traffic on a network, it takes longer for a packet to travel between nodes, resulting in a greater latency rate.
· Packet loss
If the network is overloaded, many packets will be lost and discarded after a certain period. Check here which option would best help a college reduce overloaded network congestion.
· Connection timeouts
In a perfect system, the service would hold off on terminating the connection until all of the expected packets had arrived.
Network Testing Tools
A large selection of network testing tools is commercially available. You may monitor and analyze various network-related metrics and data with these tools. While latency measurement is the primary focus of specific solutions. Others might provide insight into how your network is using its capacity. Here are 5 best networking testing tools such as:
- NetScanTools
- Network Performance Monitor
- NirSoft NetworkLatencyView Tool
- PingPlotter
- Paessler Router Traffic Grapher (PRTG)
1. NetScanTools
NetScanTools is one of the most reasonably priced and comprehensive tools and applications for Windows-based computers. NetScanTools, which comes in Pro, Basic, and LE version, gathers data automatically and displays it in the form of automated reports.
2. Network Performance Monitor
The company’s main product, NPM, is a powerful resource for keeping tabs on and controlling every aspect of a network. It includes its hardware, software, and users. This app has both a visual NetFlow analyzer and a latency tester built right in.
You may learn about the network’s sluggish areas and receive advice on how to speed them up using this tool. Using NPM, network administrators may detect port congestion, trace slow pathways, and locate servers with overworked CPUs. As a bonus, they may get warnings about network problems and fix them. In addition, SolarWinds provides a fully working free trial of NPM for assessment purposes that lasts for 30 days.
3. NirSoft NetworkLatencyView Tool
The NirSoft application NetworkLatencyView is compatible with all versions of Windows and monitors all incoming TCP connections. This utility computes all new TCP connections’ latencies, and the results you can export to text files. It also includes CSV, HTML, and XML files for further analysis. The program also provides location data for each IP address. Using the IPNetInfo tool, you may learn more about the remote computer’s IP address.
4. PingPlotter
PingPlotter is a network monitoring and troubleshooting tool that comes in free, standard, and professional versions. Ping and Traceroute are included in all releases, and the results are shown graphically. The tool gathers application servers, domain names, and test paths. Graphs make the data clear and facilitate quick decision-making.
5. Paessler Router Traffic Grapher (PRTG)
Another all-encompassing bandwidth monitoring tool is the Paessler Router Traffic Grapher (PRTG). It gives administrators a bird’s-eye view of network patterns and a consolidated view of alarms in one place.
This tool’s auto-discovery function aids administrators in scanning the whole network in search of new systems or alterations. With the help of color-coded maps and a powerful dashboard, you can easily monitor the status of your network.
FAQ
How to reduce network congestion?
Improving the bandwidth accessible on a network makes it capable of handling more data and devices simultaneously, reducing network congestion. Assuming you take the necessary measures to expand your network’s capacity, consumers should see improved performance and fewer disruptions.
What are the types of congestion?
There are two different types of congestion recurring and non-recurring.
What are the major reasons for network testing?
Maintaining your company’s internet presence and good name requires regular network testing. With this improvement, you may find your company’s weak points and significantly lessen the chances of a cyber attack.
Conclusion:
Networking testing identifies and fixes network flaws. It understands the restrictions of a particular network system and helps save data. Continuous network testing is possible with a network monitoring system. It lets you keep tabs on any network-related changes, issues, or potential upgrades.