Bigleaf Networks customers can now run network
performance tests directly from their browser, giving them a faster, more
accurate tool to troubleshoot network and application performance issues using
trusted third-party Bigleaf data. The new troubleshooting feature - which shows
up as a tab in the customer's dashboard - is another move made by Bigleaf to
make complex technologies and tedious processes more accessible to a wider
range of people, many of whom are operating in increasingly IT lean
environments.
"There are a lot of x-factors that can make a network unreliable or cause
performance issues," said Jonathan Petkevich, Vice President of Product Management
at Bigleaf. "Identifying what causes those issues is often challenging because
traffic may be handled by different players in the stream, making the test data
unreliable. Because we own and operate our own gateway clusters, we're able to
ensure the most accurate, objective results. While our customers have always
been able to get this data through our support team, we've made it easier for
them to now get this data directly from the familiar user interface of their
Bigleaf dashboard, so they can focus on troubleshooting issues with their ISPs
and application vendors."
Bigleaf's troubleshooting tests cover the gamut from simple to advanced.
At the simple end of the spectrum is a ping test where customers can identify
where they want a set of packets to be transmitted to and Bigleaf will tell
them how long the trip takes. It's a good way to determine if there's something
in that path that's causing a problem.
In the middle is an advanced traceroute test, also known as MTR, which traces
the route all of the network packets take along that path. Whereas the ping
test is basically point to point, the MTR test identifies all the stops a
packet takes along the way, giving customers the ability to pinpoint individual
devices that might be causing a problem.
And at the advanced end of the spectrum is a packet capture function, TCPdump.
With this testing function, Bigleaf captures the TCP/IP packets transmitted
between the network and a Bigleaf router to identify whatever traffic
abnormalities may exist.
"Chances are you've had this argument with an ISP before and gotten the same
responses: ‘We'll send a tech' or ‘We need to look at it' or ‘There's not an
issue.' With this new feature, you'll be able to be proactive in your own self
defense," said Petkevich. "Whether you're trying to be proactive before you
engage our support, or you're an MSP taking proactive steps before engaging a
customer, you'll be able to get a better idea of where problems exist."
Bigleaf customers will see the new tab in their dashboard immediately.