Users Reporting Slow Network

Users are reporting their network is extremely slow.

The technician discovers pings to external host have excessive response times.

However, internal pings to printers and other PCs have acceptable response times.

Which of the following steps should the technician take NEXT?

A.

Determine if any network equipment was replaced recently

B.

Verify malware has not disabled the users' PC firewalls

C.

Replace users' network cables with known-good network cables

D.

Power cycle the web server.

A.

The correct answer is A. Determine if any network equipment was replaced recently.

The symptoms described in the question suggest that there may be an issue with the network equipment responsible for routing traffic to external hosts. The fact that internal pings to printers and other PCs have acceptable response times indicates that the local network is functioning correctly, and that the issue is most likely related to the network equipment that connects the local network to the internet.

Given these symptoms, the technician's next step should be to investigate whether any network equipment was recently replaced. This could include routers, switches, or other devices that are responsible for routing traffic to the internet. If any of these devices were recently replaced or upgraded, it's possible that the new equipment is not configured correctly, or that it is not capable of handling the traffic load on the network.

Once the technician has determined whether any equipment was recently replaced, they can begin to troubleshoot the issue further. If no equipment was recently replaced, the technician may need to investigate other potential causes, such as network congestion or issues with the internet service provider. However, given the information provided in the question, investigating recent changes to the network equipment is the most logical next step.