Most engineers think about performance only after issues appear. But understanding your network’s baseline is the first step toward proactive management.
I start by identifying quiet periods—early mornings or late nights. During these windows, I gather stats: CPU usage, interface load, memory consumption, packet drop rates, and latency between critical points.
On Cisco switches, I use SNMP and CLI outputs (like show interface, show process cpu) to collect this data. If I’ve deployed Windows or Linux boxes, I include performance counters or tools like top, vmstat, or Performance Monitor.
The goal is simple: know what “normal” looks like. Once I have a baseline, I can compare later stats against it—whether for troubleshooting, capacity planning, or validating changes.
Remember: no baseline means every spike feels like an emergency.