Chapter 13 Troubleshooting Network Problems

The chapter provides a logical and methodical way for troubleshooting network problems. This serves as a basic road map for identifying and resolving network issues. The process begins with identifying the problem and its symptoms. It is then important to determine the problems scope. Which is to say how many users are affected, a work group, a department, or the entire company? This data helps in determining the magnitude of the issue. The following bullet points provide a means to capture this information.  

•  Gather information
•  Identify symptoms
•  Question users
•  Determine if anything has changed

 After you have identified the scope of the problem it is then time to establish a theory of probable cause. An excellent way to learn more about the problem is to recreate the symptoms. One needs to be very careful in doing this because this could cause havoc for the system.  You must ask the obvious questions at this stage to help determine cause.   

Next you should test the theory to determine cause. It may be something as simple as a plug unplugged or a cable disconnected. The following bullet points provide a path.

•  If theory confirmed, determine next steps
•  If theory not confirmed, establish new theory or escalate

 At this juncture after you have analyzed the network and have identified the problem it’s time to establish action plan. In the action plan it should take into consideration what impact it will have on the users and network. After development you would implement the solution or escalate for further development. As part of the process the next step would be verify full functionality and implement preventative measures if applicable. And finally document findings, actions, outcomes.

The last part of the chapter spends time covering troubleshooting tools. It looks at tone generators and tone locator's, multimeters, cable continuity testers, cable performance testers, voltage event recorders. These are only a few.

The chapter had a lot of pictures, diagrams, and flow charts. It was very helpful in understanding the methodology of troubleshooting.