Ethernet connect - host to test?

If there is a better newsgroup for my question please let me know
but..

Is there a tool or cheap method to test physical ethernet connects?
I was hoping there was a reasonably priced tool that can check signal
strength/quality of the wires, similar to how the cable company checks
coax cable.

I am experiencing poor network connectivity from some offices around
the building here. Unless someone else has a recommendation how I can
go about to check into this problem. The switch has a green light for
a 10/100 connection. Any suggestions?

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:12:52 -0700, betty wrote:

> If there is a better newsgroup for my question please let me know
> but..
>
> Is there a tool or cheap method to test physical ethernet connects?
> I was hoping there was a reasonably priced tool that can check signal
> strength/quality of the wires, similar to how the cable company checks
> coax cable.
>
> I am experiencing poor network connectivity from some offices around
> the building here. Unless someone else has a recommendation how I can
> go about to check into this problem. The switch has a green light for
> a 10/100 connection. Any suggestions?

Should be able to get a decent cable analyzer for around $80. Try Lowe's
or Home Depot.

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:54:48 -0600, ray rearranged some electrons to form:

> On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:12:52 -0700, betty wrote:
>
>> If there is a better newsgroup for my question please let me know
>> but..
>>
>> Is there a tool or cheap method to test physical ethernet connects?
>> I was hoping there was a reasonably priced tool that can check signal
>> strength/quality of the wires, similar to how the cable company checks
>> coax cable.
>>
>> I am experiencing poor network connectivity from some offices around
>> the building here. Unless someone else has a recommendation how I can
>> go about to check into this problem. The switch has a green light for
>> a 10/100 connection. Any suggestions?
>
> Should be able to get a decent cable analyzer for around $80. Try Lowe's
> or Home Depot.

If you decide to get a *real* analyzer, you want something like this:

http://www.flukenetworks.com/fnet/en...LANT&PID=50018
http://www.flukenetworks.com/fnet/en...LANT&PID=52486

--
David M (dmacchiarolo)

betty wrote:

> If there is a better newsgroup for my question please let me know
> but..
>
> Is there a tool or cheap method to test physical ethernet connects?
> I was hoping there was a reasonably priced tool that can check signal
> strength/quality of the wires, similar to how the cable company checks
> coax cable.
>
> I am experiencing poor network connectivity from some offices around
> the building here. Unless someone else has a recommendation how I can
> go about to check into this problem. The switch has a green light for
> a 10/100 connection. Any suggestions?

You could install an NDT server in your 'server area' or (worse) use an
NDT server in the Internet.

http://e2epi.internet2.edu/ndt/ndt-server-list.html

From the Documentation:

....
It can also identify 2 serious error conditions:
# Duplex Mismatch
# Excessive packet loss due to faulty cables.
....

Not a Fluke but perhaps a good start for troubleshooting.

Example Output from my PC to a server in the Internet:

------ Web100 Detailed Analysis ------
Cable modem/DSL/T1 link found.
Link set to Full Duplex mode
Information: throughput is limited by other network traffic.
Good network cable(s) found
Normal duplex operation found.

Web100 reports the Round trip time = 477.25 msec; the Packet size = 1440
Bytes; and
No packet loss was observed.
This connection is receiver limited 18.71% of the time.
Increasing the current receive buffer (138.0 KB) will improve performance
This connection is network limited 81.24% of the time.
Contact your local network administrator to report a network problem

Web100 reports TCP negotiated the optional Performance Settings to:
RFC 2018 Selective Acknowledgment: ON
RFC 896 Nagle Algorithm: ON
RFC 3168 Explicit Congestion Notification: OFF
RFC 1323 Time Stamping: ON
RFC 1323 Window Scaling: ON
Information: Network Middlebox is modifying MSS variable
Server IP addresses are preserved End-to-End
Information: Network Address Translation (NAT) box is modifying the Client's
IP address