Network Troubleshooting

Question 1

Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Identify the Problem

Answer 1

• problem definition: may come from questioning users and doing your own testing
• if possible, determine whether anything has changed in the network configuration
• find whether this is a new installation that has never worked in the past

Question 2

Troubleshooting Steps:

2. Establish a Theory of Probably Cause

Answer 2

• using experience and intuition to brianstorm possible issues
• think in terms of moving top to bottom or vice versa in the OSI model
• can use a divide and conquer approach

Question 3

Troubleshooting Steps:

3. Test the theory to determine the cause

Answer 3

• sanity check your own theory: would your hypothesized cause lead to the observed symptoms?
• formation of an alternative hypothesis might involve escalating the problem to someone more familiar with the device in question

Question 4

Troubleshooting Steps:

4. Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and identify potential effects

Answer 4

• once the theory/hypothesis makes sense technically, it is time to develop an action plan
• document the action plan, can be used as a backout plan if you hypothesis is incorrect

Question 5

Troubleshooting Steps:

5. Implement the Solution or escalate as necessary

Answer 5

• schedule an appropriate time to implement the action plan
• an appropriate time is a balance between severity of the problem and the impact your action plan will have on other users
• escalate the problem if you dont have sufficient admin privileges

Question 6

Troubleshooting Steps:

6. Verify full system functionality, and if applicable implement preventative measures

Answer 6

• after implementation, need to verify the symptoms listed in the original problem definition are gone
• also attempt to determine whether your plan has caused any other issues on the network

Question 7

Troubleshooting Steps:

7. Document findings, actions and outcomes

Answer 7

• “post mortem” report is a document that describes the reported issue, the underlying causes, and what was done to resolve the issue
• might be useful when troubleshooting similar issues in the future