Network Copyright © Genetic Computer School 2007 Lesson 14 Troubleshooting Network Problems

Network Copyright © Genetic Computer School, Singapore 2002 Lesson 14 Overview Troubleshooting Methodology Identify the symptom Verify user competency Identify the Scope of the Problem Recreate the Problem Verify Physical Connectivity Verify Logical Connectivity Implement a solution and test a solution

Network Copyright © Genetic Computer School, Singapore 2002 Troubleshooting Methodology Show the user how to perform operations correctly Identify and document the symptoms Is the user perform operations correctly? Can you reproduce the problem? Are the physical connections sound? Are the logical elemtns sound? Identify the scope of the problem Fix logical elements (software, configuration…) Consider that the problem may be a one-time problem Fix physical connections Are the logical elemtns sound? Problem solved Yes No Yes No

Network Copyright © Genetic Computer School, Singapore 2002 Identify the symptom Gather detailed information about exactly what's happening Is network performance affected? Are only certain network services (such as printing) affected? What specific error messages do users report? Do the symptoms manifest themselves consistently?

Network Copyright © Genetic Computer School, Singapore 2002 Verify user competency Is the user perform operations correctly? Wrong spelling Wrong case (e.g. password in most program are case sensitive…)

Network Copyright © Genetic Computer School, Singapore 2002 Identify the Scope of the Problem E.g. The scope of the problem includes a group of users The problem began 10 minutes ago

Network Copyright © Genetic Computer School, Singapore 2002 Recreate the Problem Try to recreate the symptoms yourself If you cannot reproduce the symptoms, you may suspect that a problem was a one-time occurrence or that a user performed an operation incorrectly.

Network Copyright © Genetic Computer School, Singapore 2002 Verify Physical Connectivity Often, physical connectivity problems will be manifested as a continuous or intermittent inability to connect to the network and perform network-related functions E.g. Check network cable, check the LED on the NIC,…

Network Copyright © Genetic Computer School, Singapore 2002 Verify Logical Connectivity You can also use some tools such as ping, netstat, ipconfig… Default settings changed...

Network Copyright © Genetic Computer School, Singapore 2002 Implement a solution and test a solution Expedite your solution as much as practical If you are reinstalling software on a device, make a backup of the device's existing software installation If you are changing hardware on a device, keep the old parts handy in case the solution doesn't work. If you are changing the configuration of a program or device, take the time to print out the program or device's current configuration. Even if the change seems minor, jot down notes about the original state.