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In these environments, Observer's logical drill down from managing overall application performance to displaying specific application delay is critical for accurate diagnosis. Using Observer's expert analysis reduced Jacksonville's network downtime by allowing the team to resolve problems with greater accuracy and speed.

Recently, Fowler was troubleshooting a slowdown with an application used to track and process building permits. Although packets reached the server, one- to two-minute delays were occurring before responses reached the client. The server team believed the network was the cause of the delay, but knowing database processing could be very memory intensive Fowler needed proof to show the database server was the actual cause.

"With Observer, we were able to trace the packet's path across the network to the server, and give the server team concrete proof the database server was holding the packets," he explained.

Without clear evidence of the problem cause, the troubleshooting efforts would have turned into arguing and fingerpointing between the IT teams.

"Using Observer we could show the server team what was happening. They could go back to the server and see why the request for the SQL back-end to pull information from the database was staying so long on the server. In response, they recompiled the database and made a few changes to resolve the problem. With our previous analysis tools we would have spent hours figuring out the problem. Observer's expert analysis pointed me right to the source."

Managing VoIP with Observer
As a part of Jacksonville's massive VoIP rollout, all new city buildings are VoIP equipped, and Observer plays a central role in managing the deployments and daily monitoring. Gravitt explained the importance of VoIP metrics when troubleshooting VoIP problems with other IT teams.

"We can show the non-technical user the jitter rates and other voice quality metrics without having to go into a detailed packet capture. To be able to play back the VoIP conversation so other IT teams could hear what the user was hearing was priceless."

Observer's VoIP analysis was instrumental in resolving dropped call issues that were mistakenly blamed on the network. During Jacksonville's supervisor elections in November and February, users complained of dropped calls or answering the phone and hearing nothing.

"With Observer I took captures from different parts of the network, and was able to show the other IT teams that calls weren't being dropped," said Gravitt. "If the network were dropping the calls, I'd no longer be able to capture packets because VoIP is an end-to-end technology. It turns out the issue was with the headsets, which proved to be incompatible with the phones."

In a more innovative use of the software, the network team uses Observer Expert for recording calls from Jacksonville's City Link call center, which handles citizen inquiries and complaints.

"We have saved a significant amount of money using the software to record phone calls for call center training. To purchase a recording solution from our VoIP provider would have cost around $30,000, but with Network Instruments we can do it at a fraction of the cost. So when our call center representatives answer calls, they can be recorded to a SAN and reviewed later."

The Future
As the city's reliance on its network grows, Jacksonville's network team is looking to expand its use of Network Instruments analysis solutions. As Wolach explained, "The city's network team has taken a more proactive stance in monitoring and troubleshooting problems before they impact the users. The increased use of Network Instruments solutions will allow them to continue to decrease the time spent troubleshooting and to ensure the network meets the city's future needs."

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