Title

AWS re:Invent 2023 - Must-have network diagnostics and troubleshooting tools (NET204)

Summary

Ruskan Dantra and Evgeny Vaganov, AWS specialists from New Zealand and Australia respectively, presented a session on network diagnostics and troubleshooting tools at AWS re:Invent 2023.
The session was a 200-level discussion focusing on networking tools and services for debugging and diagnostics.
The speakers emphasized the complexity of AWS networking and the need for tools to observe, visualize, detect, analyze, and improve network issues.
They introduced a mental model for networking, centered on observation, detection, debugging, and improvement, leading to better performance and more traffic.
The session covered various AWS services and tools, including AWS Network Manager, VPC Reachability Analyzer, Amazon CloudWatch Internet Monitor, and Amazon Q for network troubleshooting.
They discussed the importance of understanding the network at different layers (network, internet, transport, and application) and provided a toolbox of essential network troubleshooting tools.
The speakers highlighted the importance of using failures to drive continuous improvement and innovation in network topology.
They encouraged attendees to leverage AWS support when needed and to take advantage of AWS's new networking course for further learning.

AWS provides a comprehensive set of tools for network diagnostics and troubleshooting, catering to both application developers and network engineers.
Visualizing network topology and capturing extensive event data are critical first steps in understanding and diagnosing network issues.
AWS services like VPC Reachability Analyzer and Network Access Analyzer can help detect potential issues proactively, reducing downtime and improving user experience.
The TCP/IP conceptual model remains a fundamental framework for network troubleshooting, and basic tools like ping, Netcat, and TCP dump are still essential in a network engineer's toolbox.
AWS's approach to network diagnostics and troubleshooting emphasizes not only the use of tools but also the importance of a structured analysis of events (correction of errors) to drive improvements.
AWS's commitment to innovation in networking is evident in the introduction of services like Amazon VPC Lattice, which simplifies cross-VPC connectivity and supports modern application architectures.
Continuous education and staying up-to-date with AWS's evolving networking services and tools are crucial for professionals managing networks on AWS.