In a recent post, "Making the "P" Word G-Rated," we questioned the authority of monitoring tools vendors that celebrate their lack of probe technology. Here we'll explore the value of using probes to segment the conversation and isolate the trouble spots.
Finding That Leak in Your Sprinkler System
Have you ever had a leak in your sprinkler system? First, you notice that all of the sprinklers in a certain zone are spraying less water. All you really know at that point is that you've likely got a leak somewhere between the water main and that zone. Without more data, your only recourse is to dig up the path along the PVC pipe from that zone to the source until you find the leak. It's a long, tedious, inefficient process.
Imagine you had water pressure sensors at key junctions in the sprinkler system's plumbing, and you could determine more accurately between which two points the pressure dropped. How much faster would it be to isolate the trouble spot and make the repair?
Finding That "Leak" in Your UC Conversation
Have you ever had a user with a poor UC conversation? Have you ever had a poor UC conversation yourself? First, you notice that voice quality is low. Maybe words are dropped; maybe voices are garbled. All you really know at that point is that you've likely got a problem on the network somewhere between you and the other end of that conversation. Without more data, your only recourse is to investigate every network device along the call path until you find the problem source. It's a long, tedious, inefficient process.
Imagine you had voice-quality sensors at key junctions in the underlying network for your UC system, and you could determine more accurately between which two points the voice quality dropped. How much faster would it be to isolate the trouble spot and make the repair?
Using Probes to Segment the Conversation
Since UC conversations are ultimately two one-way streams, strategically placed probes can help identify which segment of the network impacted the conversation quality.
In the figure above, if quality problems plague a conference call between users in Branch 1 and Branch 2, the only way to determine which network segmentis creating the issue is by capturing heuristics at each point (marked by UC diagnostics, in purple). The arrows indicate how the probes rate each one-way stream. Everything is "green" leaving the branches and entering the data center, but the diagnostics show "red" entering Branch 2. With this analysis, an IT pro can easily identify that the issue is within the MPLS connection to Branch 2.
Managing Without Probes
Without probes, the IT pro is left trying to extrapolate details about the location of the call from a broad picture.
When users complain of a bad experience, do you want to search your entire network for the trouble area, or segment the conversation and quickly narrow the problem space with effectively placed UC diagnostics probes?
Read more tips on this topic in a recent Frost & Sullivan Report: You Know You Need to Monitor Your UCC Network--But What Isn't the Data Telling You?
Tags:
Articles You Might Like
