Network Check

The following section provides details on the typical network issues that you might face with the devices managed by the HPE Aruba Networking Central network and the steps to help troubleshoot these issues.

Network Performance

To identify the network speed, you must perform a network check on the APs in the network. A network check aims to identify, diagnose, and debug issues detected in an HPE Aruba Networking Central-managed network. The Network Check tab on the Tools page captures the troubleshooting utilities that are used to test a network entity and collect results based on your selection.

The following tests are available for APs to troubleshoot issues pertaining to WLAN Wireless Local Area Network. WLAN is a 802.11 standards-based LAN that the users access through a wireless connection. network connections:

• Ping Test
• NSLookup
• Traceroute
• TCP Test
• HTTP Test
• HTTPS Test
• Speed Test (iPerf)

Ping Test

Sends ICMP Internet Control Message Protocol. ICMP is an error reporting protocol. It is used by network devices such as routers, to send error messages and operational information to the source IP address when network problems prevent delivery of IP packets. echo packets to the hostname or IP addresses of the selected devices to check for latency issues.

To perform a ping test on APs, complete the following steps:

1. In the WebUI app, select one of the following options:
   • To select a group, label, site, or all devices in the filter, set the filter to one of the options under Groups, Labels, or Sites. For all devices, set the filter to Global.

     The dashboard context for the selected filter is displayed.

   • To select a device in the filter:
     1. Set the filter to Global.

     2. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Points.

        A list of access points is displayed in the List view.

     3. Click an access point listed under Device Name for which you want to perform the ping test.

        The dashboard context for the access point is displayed.

2. Under Analyze > Tools, click Network Check.
3. From the Device Type drop-down list, select Access Point.
4. From the Sources drop-down list, select the sources.

   You can select multiple APs.

5. From the Test drop-down list, select Ping Test.
6. From the Destination Type drop-down list, select one of the following:
   • Hostname/IP Address—Enter the hostname or IP address.
   • Client—Select a client.
7. Select the SSID Service Set Identifier. SSID is a name given to a WLAN and is used by the client to access a WLAN network. from the SSID drop-down list.
   • For devices running firmware version below AOS-10.3, the SSID option is not visible.

   • For devices running firmware version between AOS-10.3 and AOS-10.4, SSID is visible only if Underlay SSID is configured on that device. Even if Overlay is configured on the device, pinging over Overlay is not supported.

   • For devices running firmware version AOS-10. 4 and above both Overlay and Underlay SSIDs will be displayed in the drop-down list.

   • If you select client from the Destination Type drop-down list, the SSID is automatically selected based on the client.
8. To use additional parameters, click Show Additional Test Settings and enter values in the following fields:

1. In the Packet Size field, enter the packet size in order to capture and store the data packet to analyze network issues at a later stage. The range is from 10 to 65507 bytes.
2. In the Count field, enter the count. The value should be between 1 to 2147483647.
3. Select Port from the Source Interface drop-down list and select the port number.

9. Click Run. The output is displayed in the Device Output section.

Figure 1  Ping Test—Device Output

As mentioned in the steps, you can ping a client, gateway, or a WAN Wide Area Network. WAN is a telecommunications network or computer network that extends over a large geographical distance. IP address to identify the wireless speed. When you ping the client, it sends the packets at a specified speed. If the network is slow, the time taken for the transfer will be high and some packets may get lost in the process. This behavior indicates that there is an issue between the AP and the client. Hence, when you notice that the network is slow, execute a ping test in Tools and check if the ping test is optimal. Similarly, you can choose your destination to be a gateway or a WAN/IP address. The tests show the same network speed from an AP to a gateway or from an AP to an outside WAN.

NSLookup

NSLookup is a program to query internet domain name servers. To perform a NSLookup test on APs, complete the following steps:

1. In the WebUI app, select one of the following options:
   • To select a group, label, site, or all devices in the filter, set the filter to one of the options under Groups, Labels, or Sites. For all devices, set the filter to Global.

     The dashboard context for the selected filter is displayed.

   • To select a device in the filter:
     1. Set the filter to Global.

     2. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Points.

        A list of access points is displayed in the List view.

     3. Click an access point listed under Device Name for which you want to perform the traceroute test.

        The dashboard context for the access point is displayed.

2. Under Analyze > Tools, click Network Check.
3. From the Device Type drop-down list, select Access Point.
4. From the Test drop-down list, select NSLOOKUP.
5. From the Sources drop-down list, select source(s). You can select multiple APs.
6. Enter the hostname or IP address.

7. To use additional parameters, click Show Additional Test Settings and in the DNS Domain Name System. A DNS server functions as a phone book for the intranet and Internet users. It converts human-readable computer host names into IP addresses and IP addresses into host names. It stores several records for a domain name such as an address 'A' record, name server (NS), and mail exchanger (MX) records. The Address 'A' record is the most important record that is stored in a DNS server, because it provides the required IP address for a network peripheral or element. Server field enter the hostname or IP address.

   Show Additional Test Settings is not displayed when a Test type is not selected.

8. Click Run. The output is displayed in the Device Output section.

Traceroute

Tracks the packets routed from a network host.

To perform a traceroute test on APs, complete the following steps:

1. In the WebUI app, select one of the following options:
   • To select a group, label, site, or all devices in the filter, set the filter to one of the options under Groups, Labels, or Sites. For all devices, set the filter to Global.

     The dashboard context for the selected filter is displayed.

   • To select a device in the filter:
     1. Set the filter to Global.

     2. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Points.

        A list of access points is displayed in the List view.

     3. Click an access point listed under Device Name for which you want to perform the traceroute test.

        The dashboard context for the access point is displayed.

2. Under Analyze > Tools, click Network Check.
3. From the Device Type drop-down list, select Access Point.
4. From the Test drop-down list, select Traceroute.
5. From the Sources drop-down list, select source(s). You can select multiple APs.
6. Enter the hostname or IP address.
7. Click Run. The output is displayed in the Device Output section.

Figure 2  Traceroute Test—Device Output

TCP Test

Sends packets to the host such as an FTP File Transfer Protocol. A standard network protocol used for transferring files between a client and server on a computer network. server, and tries to establish a connection and exchanges data. If the FTP server returns a response, the issue could be isolated to the client device.

To perform a TCP Transmission Control Protocol. TCP is a communication protocol that defines the standards for establishing and maintaining network connection for applications to exchange data. test on APs, complete the following steps:

1. In the WebUI app, select one of the following options:
   • To select a group, label, site, or all devices in the filter, set the filter to one of the options under Groups, Labels, or Sites. For all devices, set the filter to Global.

     The dashboard context for the selected filter is displayed.

   • To select a device in the filter:
     1. Set the filter to Global.

     2. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Points.

        A list of access points is displayed in the List view.

     3. Click an access point listed under Device Name for which you want to perform the TCP test.

        The dashboard context for the access point is displayed.

2. Under Analyze > Tools, click Network Check.
3. From the Device Type drop-down list, select Access Point.
4. From the Test drop-down list, select TCP Test.
5. From the Sources drop-down list, select source(s). You can select multiple APs.
6. Enter a valid IPv4 address in the Host field. Hostname is not supported.
7. Enter the port number in the Port field. The port number should be between 1 to 65535.
8. To use additional parameters, click Show Additional Test Settings and in the Timeout field, to enter the timeout value in seconds.
   The value should be between 1 to 10 seconds. The default timeout value is 5 seconds.

9. Click Run. The output is displayed in the Device Output section.

Figure 3  TCP Test—Device Output

HTTP Test

Sends packets to the HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The HTTP is an application protocol to transfer data over the web. The HTTP protocol defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and the actions that the w servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. URL Uniform Resource Locator. URL is a global address used for locating web resources on the Internet. and tries to establish a connection and exchange data. If the HTTP website returns a response, the issue could be isolated to the client device.

To perform an HTTP test on APs, complete the following steps:

1. In the WebUI app, select one of the following options:
   • To select a group, label, site, or all devices in the filter, set the filter to one of the options under Groups, Labels, or Sites. For all devices, set the filter to Global.

     The dashboard context for the selected filter is displayed.

   • To select a device in the filter:
     1. Set the filter to Global.

     2. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Points.

        A list of access points is displayed in the List view.

     3. Click an access point listed under Device Name for which you want to perform the HTTP test.

        The dashboard context for the access point is displayed.

2. Under Analyze > Tools, click Network Check.
3. From the Device Type drop-down list, select Access Point.
4. From the Test drop-down list, select HTTP Test.
5. From the Sources drop-down list, select source(s). You can select multiple APs.
6. Enter the HTTP URL for which you want to perform the HTTP test, in the URL field, For example, http://hostname or http://ipaddress.

7. To use additional parameters, click Show Additional Test Settings and in the Timeout field, enter the timeout value in seconds.
   The value should be between 1 to 10 seconds. The default timeout value is 1 second.

8. Click Run. The test output is displayed in the Device Output section.

Figure 4  HTTP Test—Device Output

HTTPS Test

Sends packets to the HTTPS Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. HTTPS is a variant of the HTTP that adds a layer of security on the data in transit through a secure socket layer or transport layer security protocol connection. URL and tries to establish a connection and exchange data. If the HTTPS website returns a response, the issue could be isolated to the client device. HTTPS is a performance test to identify the time taken to load a web page.

To perform an HTTPS URL test on APs, complete the following steps:

1. In the HPE Aruba Networking Central app, select one of the following options:
   • To select a group, label, site, or all devices in the filter, set the filter to one of the options under Groups, Labels, or Sites. For all devices, set the filter to Global.

     The dashboard context for the selected filter is displayed.

   • To select a device in the filter:
     1. Set the filter to Global.

     2. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Points.

        A list of access points is displayed in the List view.

     3. Click an access point listed under Device Name for which you want to perform the HTTPS test.

        The dashboard context for the access point is displayed.

2. Under Analyze > Tools, click Network Check.
3. From the Device Type drop-down list, select Access Point.
4. From the Test drop-down list, select HTTPS Test.
5. From the Sources drop-down list, select source(s). You can select multiple APs.
6. Enter the HTTPS URL for which you want to perform the HTTPS test in the URL field, For example, https://URL or https://IPv4.

7. To use additional parameters, click Show Additional Test Settings and in the Timeout field, enter the timeout value in seconds.
   The value should be between 1 to 10 seconds. The default timeout value is 1 second.

8. Click Run. The test output is displayed in the Device Output section.

Figure 5  HTTPS Test—Device Output

Speed Test (iPerf)

Performs a speed test to measure network speed and bandwidth. The speed test diagnostic tool is available only for Instant APs. To perform a speed test, you must provide the iPerf server address, protocol type, and speed test options such as bandwidth.

To execute a speed test on APs, complete the following steps:

1. In the WebUI app, select one of the following options:
   • To select a group, label, site, or all devices in the filter, set the filter to one of the options under Groups, Labels, or Sites. For all devices, set the filter to Global.

     The dashboard context for the selected filter is displayed.

   • To select a device in the filter:
     1. Set the filter to Global.

     2. Under Manage, click Devices > Access Points.

        A list of access points is displayed in the List view.

     3. Click an access point listed under Device Name for which you want to perform the speed test.

        The dashboard context for the access point is displayed.

2. Under Analyze > Tools, click Network Check.
3. From the Device Type drop-down list, select Access Point.
4. From the Test drop-down list, select Speed Test (iPerf).
5. From the Sources drop-down list, select source(s). You can select multiple APs.
6. In the Host field, enter a valid hostname.
7. From the Protocol drop-down list, select the protocol. The available options are TCP or UDP.
8. To use additional parameters, click Show Additional Test Settings and in the Options field, enter the option. For example, bandwidth.

9. Click Run. The test output is displayed in the Device Output section.

Figure 6  Speed Test—Device Output

In addition to the Network Check tests, you can also leverage the Commands tab to troubleshoot your network performance using the available CLI commands. The Commands tab on the Tools page lists commands specific to a particular device to test the device entity and collect results based on your selection.

Figure 7  Advanced Device Troubleshooting

When a troubleshooting operation is initiated, HPE Aruba Networking Central establishes a session with the devices selected for the troubleshooting operation and displays the output in the Device Output.

Figure 8  Command Test—Device Output

Viewing the Device Output

After you execute troubleshooting commands on the device, HPE Aruba Networking Central displays the output in the Device Output section of the Tools page.

The output section displays information, such as the list of devices on which the troubleshooting commands were executed, initial timestamp, Test Type, Source, and Target. It also shows the status of the tests as, in progress, complete, and buffer time. If there are multiple devices, select the device for which you want to view the output.

You can perform the following tasks from the Device Output section:

• Click Clear to clear the output. You can clear the output for a single device or for all devices. The Clear option is disabled for read-only users.
• Click the Search icon to search for text in the output.
• Click the Email icon and click Send to send the output as an email. You can also add email recipients in the CC field.
• Click Export to export the command output as a zip file.
• Click the maximize icon to maximize the device output pane.