Understanding service diagnostics
Our automated service diagnostics system runs a series of specialized tests to provide comprehensive visibility into your network's health. After completing these tests, the system generates a summary disposition and recommended actions tailored to your specific situation.
Benefits of automated diagnostics
Automated diagnostics offer several key advantages:
- Faster troubleshooting and resolution times
- Reduced need for onsite technical visits
- Greater transparency into service performance
- Data-driven recommendations for optimizing your network
IP & IP VPN service diagnostics
This test evaluates the performance and connectivity of your internet protocol-based services, including dedicated internet access, MPLS, VPN, and SD-WAN solutions. These tests focus on physical layer connectivity, service utilization, and protocol health.
Soft disconnect test
Similar to the transport category, this test identifies if your IP service has been temporarily disconnected due to non-payment. The system checks the administrative status of your service accounts and flags any services that have been suspended.
Customer power test
This test detects power failures at your location. A failure in this test typically indicates a local power issue at your site that requires investigation of your power systems or backup power solutions.
Service alarms test
The service alarms test for IP services monitors various equipment-generated alerts across your service path. These can include hardware failures, threshold violations, or alerts from routers, switches, and other network devices supporting your service.
SD-WAN reachability test
This specialized test verifies connectivity between your SD-WAN appliance and the SD-WAN director/controller. It checks communication pathways, authentication status, and configuration synchronization. Failed tests may indicate orchestration issues that could impact SD-WAN functionality and policy enforcement.
Transport access test
The transport access diagnostic evaluates the underlying transport layer supporting your IP services. It verifies that physical and link-layer components are properly functioning and accessible. This test helps isolate whether issues exist in the foundational infrastructure versus higher-layer protocols.
Interface status test
This comprehensive test evaluates the current status and stability of your assigned interface(s) over the past 24 hours. It tracks operational status and fluctuations in connectivity. The historical view helps identify intermittent issues that might not be apparent during a point-in-time check.
Errors test
The errors test focuses specifically on detecting interface errors on your service. It monitors for various error types including CRC errors, frame errors, and alignment issues that can degrade service quality or cause packet loss, even when connectivity appears normal.
Discards test
This test monitors for packet discards on your interfaces. Discards occur when network devices must drop packets due to congestion, buffer limitations, or quality of service policies. High discard rates can significantly impact application performance, especially for real-time services like voice and video.
Ping test
The ping test checks connectivity between the Lumen network and your peering router. It measures both round-trip time in milliseconds and packet loss percentage along the path. This fundamental test provides insights into basic connectivity, latency, and reliability of your connection. Note that many organizations block ICMP traffic at their firewalls for security purposes, so failed ping attempts may not indicate an actual network connectivity issue but rather a deliberate security configuration.
BGP test
This specialized test evaluates the current status and stability of Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) sessions configured between Lumen and your router over the past 24 hours. BGP is essential for route exchange and proper traffic flow. The test monitors session uptime, route stability, and proper advertisement of network prefixes.
Service utilization test
This test monitors bandwidth utilization and alerts when usage exceeds 90% in the last 24 hours. High utilization can lead to congestion, increased latency, and packet loss. The test helps identify when you may be approaching capacity limits and need to consider service upgrades. Learn more about viewing utilization metrics for a service
Network event test
Similar to the transport category, this test identifies Lumen network outages affecting multiple customers. It provides visibility into broader network issues that might be impacting your service and are already being addressed by our technical teams.
Planned maintenance test
This test checks if your IP service is currently affected by scheduled Lumen maintenance activities. It connects to our maintenance management system to verify if service impacts relate to planned work and provides details about maintenance windows and potential service effects.
Understanding test results and recommended actions
After running the relevant diagnostic tests, our system generates:
- Summary disposition: A comprehensive assessment of your service health based on the combined results of all applicable tests. This summary provides a clear picture of your service status at a glance.
- Recommended action: Data-driven guidance on the most effective next steps to resolve any identified issues. These recommendations are tailored to your specific circumstances and designed to minimize downtime.
Interpreting common test results
All tests pass: When all diagnostics pass, your service should be operating normally, and no action is required. (Important: While our diagnostics are robust, they may not identify all possible issues. Some problems may fall outside the scope of automated testing and may require additional investigation or support.)
Multiple test failures: If several tests fail simultaneously, the system will identify the most likely root cause and recommend addressing that issue first.
External factors: When tests indicate issues outside our network (such as at your premises), the system will recommend troubleshooting steps you can take or suggest engaging your IT team.
Taking action based on results
When reviewing test results and recommendations, consider these steps:
- Review the summary disposition for a quick understanding of your service health.
- Examine individual test results to understand specific areas of concern.
- Follow recommended actions in the priority order suggested.
- Verify resolution by re-running diagnostics after implementing changes.
- Contact support if issues persist after following recommendations.
Security check* (available for Internet services only)
Our new Security Check feature leverages Black Lotus Labs intelligence to detect potential security threats within your IP space. This automated check uses sampled data to search for a limited set of threat indicators in your environment, providing you with early warning of certain types of suspicious activity.
*DISCLAIMER: Lumen may not identify all possible incidents or vulnerabilities and Lumen expressly disclaims any responsibility for any unidentified or misidentified incidents or vulnerabilities. The security check leverages sampled data and is only searching for a limited set of potential threats within your environment. This service is complimentary, should not be considered comprehensive, and should not be used as a replacement for a more thorough cyber-security strategy.
Getting additional support
While our automated diagnostics provide powerful insights and solutions for many issues, some complex scenarios may require additional assistance. If you've followed the recommended actions but continue experiencing service issues, please contact our technical support team through Lumen Connect or support hotline.
Our support teams have visibility into your diagnostic results and can provide additional expertise to address persistent or complex issues.
By leveraging our automated service diagnostics effectively, you can minimize downtime, quickly identify and resolve issues, and help ensure optimal performance of your critical network services.
