Written by Chris Bloom, LiveAction Senior Product Sales Specialist
Welcome to the fourth blog post in our series AI Network Monitoring: Bridging the NPM Gap with ChatGPT. AI tools like ChatGPT can offer recommendations on how to resolve identified network problems. It can provide step-by-step instructions or even generate configuration scripts to address hardware-related issues. For example, if a router misconfiguration is causing packet loss, ChatGPT can guide administrators on how to correct it.
Here are some examples of how ChatGPT can facilitate these recommendations and solutions:
- Enhanced Monitoring with More Capture Points: When network issues persist, ChatGPT can suggest expanding the network monitoring infrastructure by adding additional capture points strategically. It can provide guidance on ideal locations for these points based on network topology and traffic patterns. For example, it may recommend placing capture points at key intersections in the network to gain a comprehensive view of traffic.
- Load Balancing DNS and Application Servers: ChatGPT can outline the benefits of load balancing DNS and application servers to improve network performance and redundancy. It can delve into the specifics of load balancer configurations, recommend load balancing algorithms (e.g., round-robin, least connections), and provide best practices for implementation. Engineers can receive step-by-step instructions on setting up load balancing to distribute traffic effectively.
- Cisco CLI Guidance: For Cisco networking environments, ChatGPT can offer practical advice on navigating the Cisco Command Line Interface (CLI). It can provide specific commands for tasks such as checking interface status, troubleshooting routing issues, or configuring Quality of Service (QoS) settings. Engineers can receive real-time assistance in diagnosing and resolving Cisco-related problems.
- Scripting Solutions: When repetitive tasks can be automated for efficiency, ChatGPT can recommend writing scripts to streamline operations. For instance, if there’s a need to collect and analyze specific data regularly, ChatGPT can guide engineers in writing Python or Bash scripts for data retrieval and processing. It can even suggest libraries and frameworks that simplify script development.
- Cross-Team Collaboration: In cases where network issues involve multiple teams (e.g., networking, security, application development), ChatGPT can advise on effective collaboration strategies. It can recommend setting up regular cross-functional meetings, defining clear communication channels, and establishing incident response protocols. This ensures that relevant information is shared promptly and that teams work cohesively to resolve issues.
- Data Gathering and Analysis: ChatGPT can guide engineers on collecting relevant data for troubleshooting. For instance, if packet captures are required to diagnose network anomalies, it can provide instructions on configuring capture filters, choosing the right capture tool (e.g., Wireshark), and analyzing captured packets to identify issues.
- Proactive Monitoring and Alerting: ChatGPT can recommend implementing proactive monitoring and alerting solutions. It can suggest specific network monitoring tools that offer advanced alerting capabilities and guide engineers in setting up alerts for critical network parameters. This ensures that anomalies are detected in real-time, allowing for swift response.
- Optimization Strategies: When network performance issues stem from inefficiencies or bottlenecks, ChatGPT can offer optimization strategies. For example, it can recommend traffic shaping techniques to prioritize critical traffic or suggest route optimization methods to reduce latency.
- Auditing and Review: ChatGPT may recommend periodic audits and reviews of network configurations and policies. It can provide checklists and guidelines for conducting thorough audits, identifying potential vulnerabilities
Be on the look out for this 10 part blog series
Explaining how AI can bridge that gap and can help network engineers cover better manage their networks with the help of AI:
- AI Network Monitoring: Bridging the NPM with ChatGPT: Introduction
- Expert Advice for Network Monitoring
- Interpretation and Insights for Complex Networks
- Recommendations for Network Issue Resolution
- Examples of Maximizing Your NPM with ChatGPT
- The Future of AI based Network Monitoring (coming soon)
- Integration into NPM Tools (coming soon)
- Next Steps for AI Network Monitoring (coming soon)
- How to Become an Expert Prompt Engineer for Network Engineering (coming soon)
- Conclusion (coming soon)
