Industrial Network Diagnostics, Monitoring and Traffic Analysis

Industrial Network Diagnostics: Choosing the Right Solution

Industrial communication problems do not always cause an immediate shutdown. Intermittent errors, packet loss, communication delays and degraded network performance may affect production before the underlying cause becomes apparent.

Effective diagnostics require understanding the protocol, network architecture and available measurement points. Garma Electrónica provides diagnostic, monitoring and traffic analysis solutions to help investigate industrial communication issues.

Diagnostics by Industrial Protocol

Applications Across Industrial Sectors

• Machine builders: communication verification during integration, testing and commissioning.
• Manufacturing: investigating intermittent communication faults and production network issues.
• Energy and critical infrastructure: network monitoring and incident investigation, subject to installation requirements.
• Water and process industries: diagnostics between controllers, instrumentation and distributed equipment.
• Logistics and warehouse automation: troubleshooting communications between automation devices.

Packet Capture, Network TAPs and Continuous Monitoring

These technologies provide different capabilities and should be selected according to the diagnostic objective.

• Continuous monitoring: tracks selected network indicators over time and helps detect anomalies.
• Portable analyzers: support on-site troubleshooting, maintenance and commissioning.
• Packet capture: records network traffic for inspection using compatible analysis tools.
• Network TAPs: provide access to packets for an external capture or analysis system. A TAP does not perform protocol analysis by itself.

Preparing Industrial Networks for Future Requirements

Network expansion, new machinery, protocol changes and increasing communication speeds may introduce additional diagnostic requirements.

When selecting a solution, consider protocol compatibility, traffic access methods, recording and analysis capabilities, integration options and operating conditions. OT cybersecurity requirements and network access restrictions should also be evaluated where applicable.