CIOIN

Controversy began early on when computers were connected to each other and programmers began to write applications that sent information back and forth between them.

The controversy is whether the apparent slowness in performance of the application is due to how the program is executing, or the slowness in the network. When networks were first used, links were very slow when compared to direct connections between computers, printers and disk drives. So, networks often were blamed for the waiting time for the system to produce output.

However, today's networks operate at vastly higher speeds. When users get frustrated with the performance of an application, it is difficult to isolate whether the lack of performance is in the processing in the network attached devices, or in the network itself.

In this document, we will address this problem. In order to do this we will need to discuss how applications work. In particular, we will focus on how they use or fail to use the network. This will include both failure to send information in a timely manner and failure to respond to requests coming from the network. We'll also give you a guide in what to look for when troubleshooting applications.