Troubleshooting

Unit objectives Explain the basic troubleshooting steps and prepare toolkits for troubleshooting Troubleshoot the physical and logical network Implement a network troubleshooting methodology based on a given scenario

Topic A
Topic A: Troubleshooting basics Topic B: Troubleshooting the network Topic C: Troubleshooting scenarios

Troubleshooting
Gather information Identify the affected areas of the network Determine if anything has changed Establish the most probable cause Determine if escalation is necessary Create an action plan and a solution Implement and test the solution Document the solution

Information gathering
Listen carefully Ask open-ended questions Recognize relevant information Look for unreported past errors Try quick fixes Speak in a professional manner

Identify the affected area

Identify the users affected Determine priority Re-create the problem Rely on intuitive logical processes

Determine if anything has changed

Identify recent changes Compare current situation to
Wiring schematics Physical and logical network diagrams Baselines Policies and procedures

Establish probable cause

Isolate and select the most likely source of problem Eliminate obvious problems sequentially Determine scope of probable cause
Does the problem exist across the enterprise? Is the problem related to the logical arrangement of resources? Does the problem exist across a WAN link? Does the problem exist in the local area network? Does the problem exist at the workstation?

Determine if escalation necessary

Cant repair every problem alone Which level of support is necessary? Who needs to help fix the problem?

Create an action plan

Determine appropriate course of action Create a formal plan for large problems

Implement and test a solution

Be aware of operational needs Use troubleshooting tools Contact third-party service provider Test the solution you implemented Look at underlying factors

Identify results and effects

Identify results of solution and any effects Are things back to normal, or has environment changed?

Document problem and solution

Document symptoms, cause, solution, and troubleshooting process Modify change-management documentation Look for additional problems Provide feedback to users

Activity A-1

Discussing troubleshooting procedures

Problem and resolution tracking

Tracking options Help desk software

Activity A-2

Tracking problems and resolutions

Hardware toolkit
Screwdrivers Pliers Tweezers Grabber Flashlight Antistatic bags Containers Grounding straps and mats Antistatic sprays

Additional tools
Multimeter Nut drivers Cable stripper Snips Punch down tool Crimper Butt set TDR OTDR Certifier Temperature monitor Voltage event recorder

Software toolkit
Drivers on a disk Virus software Boot disk Operating system CD or DVD Common problems list

Activity A-3

Identifying common toolkit components

Topic B
Topic A: Troubleshooting basics Topic B: Troubleshooting the network Topic C: Troubleshooting scenarios

Troubleshooting wired connections

Electrical interference Network noise Crosstalk
Near End Crosstalk Far End Crosstalk Equal Level Far End Crosstalk Pair to Pair Crosstalk

Attenuation Collisions Open impedance mismatch

Cable testing devices

Test the physical cable Test connections and network functions

Physical cable tests

Locate miswired cables, open cables, and shorts Locate missing cables Locate unsupported cables Test hub connections Test PC connections Test installed cables Test patch cables Locate inactive cables

Network function tests

Verifying if PC is ON, if it appears as a PC, and maximum speed Verifying if hub is ON, if it appears as a hub, and maximum speed Verifying PC to hub speed and data transmission and port speed or duplex mismatch Verifying hub to hub data transmission Determining if straight-thru or crossover patch cable is required Finding speed bottlenecks on LANs Monitoring LAN link between two devices

Network analyzer
Identify problems with
Cabling Jacks Network cards Hubs Lower-level OSI hardware TCP/IP

Activity B-1

Testing the physical network

Troubleshooting wireless
Identify components to troubleshoot Isolate the problem Common problems
Infrared Radio Bluetooth

Windows Network Diagnostics

Activity B-2

Troubleshooting wireless networking

TCP/IP utilities
ARP ARP ping DIG Getmac Host Ifconfig Ipconfig FTP Mtr Nbstat Netstat Nslookup Ping Route Telnet Traceroute

Activity B-3

Identifying TCP/IP utilities used for troubleshooting

Ipconfig
Use to display and modify TCP/IP properties
/all /release /renew /flushdns /displaydns /registerdns

Unix Ifconfig
Unix command to display IP addressing information Enable and disable network cards

Activity B-4

Using Ipconfig to display TCP/IP settings

Ping
Packet Internet Groper Sends packet to another computer to test connectivity Use NetBIOS name, DNS name, or IP address

Ping troubleshooting
If you tried to ping using a domain name, use the IP address of the remote host instead Try to ping a different computer Cant communicate, use ipconfig to verify that the computer has been assigned an IP address Verify all network configuration settings Reboot the computer to verify that TCP/IP has been loaded Try removing TCP/IP and reinstalling it Check the physical connections

Activity B-5

Testing TCP/IP connectivity

NSLookup and Tracert

NSLookup
Verifies communication with a DNS server Single or multiple DNS servers

Tracert
Verify network path between two computers

Activity B-6

Using NSLookup and Tracert

Windows Network Diagnostics

Built in to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Automates troubleshooting Diagnose and repair problems automatically

Activity B-7

Troubleshooting with Network Diagnostics

Topic C
Topic A: Troubleshooting basics Topic B: Troubleshooting the network Topic C: Troubleshooting scenarios

Remote Desktop components

The Windows computer on which youve enabled Remote Desktop The configuration of Remote Desktop itself The computer with which youre connecting to the remote Windows computer The DNS server The physical network

Activity C-1

Troubleshooting Remote Desktop connectivity

Activity C-2

Troubleshooting the inability of a user to access a shared resource

Activity C-3

Troubleshooting access to an account

Activity C-4

Troubleshooting hardware problems

Activity C-5

Troubleshooting a network problem related to adding or removing services

Unit summary
Explained the basic troubleshooting steps and prepared toolkits for troubleshooting Troubleshot the physical and logical network Implemented a network troubleshooting methodology based on a given scenario