AI-Assisted Network Troubleshooting

Network troubleshooting can be daunting, especially when issues cross the boundaries of simple ping failures or involve intermittent slowdowns, DNS glitches, or SSL problems. With the Quantum Network Monitor Assistant, AI-driven guidance doesn’t just make life easier—it can resolve real-world complex issues with speed and clarity. In this post, we’ll walk through a detailed, step-by-step dialogue showing how the Assistant helps overcome a tricky network dilemma using real tools and rich monitoring options.

Let’s consider a practical scenario:
A user suspects an intermittent connectivity issue with their company’s main website (acme-corp.com). Employees in multiple locations report random slowdowns and failed accesses, some mentioning DNS errors and others SSL security warnings. The user turns to the Quantum Network Monitor Assistant for AI-assisted resolution.

Step 1: Start the Troubleshooting Dialogue

User:
“I’ve got users in two offices reporting our site acme-corp.com is slow or unreachable. Some complain about DNS errors, others see SSL warnings. Can you help me troubleshoot?”

Assistant:
“Absolutely. Let’s break down the problem into monitoring DNS resolution, website connectivity, and SSL certificate validity from different locations for acme-corp.com. I’ll start by listing your current monitored hosts to check if this domain is already being tracked.”

{
  "name": "functions.get_host_list",
  "arguments": {
    "detail_response": true,
    "address": "acme-corp.com"
  }
}

If the domain isn’t yet monitored, the Assistant will move ahead to add thorough coverage.

Step 2: Add Targeted Monitors for Multiple Endpoints

Assistant:
“acme-corp.com isn’t currently on the watchlist. Let’s set up checks for DNS, HTTP(S), and SSL endpoints. For the most accurate troubleshooting, I’ll use varied agent locations — your EU and US branch offices.”

{
  "name": "functions.add_host",
  "arguments": {
    "detail_response": true,
    "address": "acme-corp.com",
    "endpoint": "dns",
    "agent_location": "Scanner - EU",
    "email": "[email protected]"
  }
}

{
  "name": "functions.add_host",
  "arguments": {
    "detail_response": true,
    "address": "acme-corp.com",
    "endpoint": "https",
    "agent_location": "Scanner - US",
    "email": "[email protected]"
  }
}

Here, we used add_host to create DNS and HTTPS monitors from each site, ensuring issues are captured from both the EU and US vantage points.

Step 3: Gather and Analyze Monitoring Data

Once the hosts are added and active, the Assistant retrieves real-time diagnostic data.

User:
“Okay, I just got alerts from the EU agent for DNS failures. What details can you show me?”

Assistant:
“I’ll pull the latest status, including DNS error codes and response times, specifically from the EU agent.”

{
  "name": "functions.get_host_data",
  "arguments": {
    "detail_response": true,
    "address": "acme-corp.com",
    "endpoint": "dns",
    "agent_location": "Scanner - EU",
    "dataset_id": 0
  }
}

The assistant reviews the results:
“We’re seeing intermittent DNS resolution failures with SERVFAIL errors from the EU agent while the US agent shows consistent resolution. This suggests a geo-specific DNS outage, often due to propagation issues or upstream provider problems.”

Step 4: Expand and Deepen the Investigation

User:
“Our SSL monitoring just triggered an alert as well—can you pinpoint what’s wrong?”

Assistant:
“Let’s examine the SSL certificate status and handshake logs from both agents. I’ll run a detailed check.”

{
  "name": "functions.get_host_data",
  "arguments": {
    "detail_response": true,
    "address": "acme-corp.com",
    "endpoint": "https",
    "page_size": 2
  }
}

The function provides deep SSL error details, showing an expired certificate chain from certain IPs.

Step 5: Provide Actionable Remediation

Assistant:
“The certificate presented to some remote users is outdated, likely due to a misconfigured load balancer presenting the wrong chain. On the DNS issue, EU-based clients are hitting a non-updated DNS server with stale records. I recommend:
• Flushing/forcing DNS updates with your upstream EU provider
• Checking load balancer node configurations for SSL certificate consistency”

Conclusion

Thanks to the Quantum Network Monitor Assistant’s AI-guided workflow and real-time, per-location checks, a multi-cause connectivity meltdown was swiftly diagnosed. By integrating monitoring, alerting, data review, and actionable remediation in a conversational, guided fashion, even complicated issues—like geo-dependent DNS failures mixed with SSL misconfiguration—are resolved as if step-by-step with a live expert.

Ready to move beyond static network scripts and toward forensic, AI-powered troubleshooting? Give the Quantum Network Monitor Assistant a try on your next tough network challenge!