Network congestion occurs when too many packets are sent into a single link or node in the network. In extreme cases, it could lead to packet loss, queueing delays, or even the blocking or slowing down of new connections.
The most common cause of network congestion is the overload of one or more nodes in the network. When this happens, the network’s overall performance suffers because the bandwidth allocated to each network connection becomes limited. If this continues long enough, the entire network will eventually reach saturation and stop functioning correctly.
How to Identify Network Congestion
Network congestion is one of the factors can identify behind these underlying issues:
- Bandwidth Limitation- The maximum amount of data that can be transferred per unit of time is called the “bandwidth” of the network. Bandwidth limitations are often caused by physical constraints such as the speed of light, which limits how fast information can travel within a fiber optic cable.
- High Latency- A congested network has a high latency rate because packets take longer to reach their destinations.
- Connection Timeouts- It would be ideal if the service waited for the arrival of packets, but in some cases, the connection terminated because of timeouts.
- Packet loss- If too many packets are sent at once, they may not get through because the network is busy, and some will be dropped for various reasons.It could be because of an improper connection, poor cabling, etc..
- Packet retransmission-When there is a problem with the transmission of a message, the sender must resend the message. When data packets are sent back and forth between two computers, they increase network congestion.
- Jitter- Jitter refers to the variation in the delay of packet arrival. In a congested network, there may be inconsistent delays in packet delivery, leading to jitter.
- Collisions- In a shared network environment, collisions occur when two or more devices transmit data simultaneously. Network congestion can increase the likelihood of collisions and degrade overall network performance.
