Active misconfiguration detection in Ethernet networks based on analysis of end-to-end anomalies

The complexity of data networks is constantly increasing, as does the occurrence of faults and misconfigurations. Consequently, network operators are increasingly concerned with the negative effects that misconfigurations have on QoS (Quality of Service) and the difficulty of effective troubleshooting. This paper addresses the detection of Duplexity Mismatch (DM) of media access devices in Ethernet networks. From the broad spectrum of sources we surveyed, including logging data from real networks, it appears that DM is surprisingly common and very severe. We show how DM introduces degenerative traffic anomalies capable of drastically reducing flow throughput. We, then, propose a novel detection algorithm based on end-to-end active probing. Our investigation is complemented by the implementation of a SW prototype. Extensive experimental evaluation is conducted in a real-world production LAN. The achieved results are encouraging and show that our prototype can be a very useful tool. Our evaluation attained a high success rate of misconfiguration detection: 99.72%. False positive and false negative rates are extremely contained: 0.00% and 0.28%, respectively. Therefore, our prototype appears to be a robust and reliable detection instrument from which network administrators and field engineers can benefit.