Chapter 2:

Troubleshooting Processes for

Complex Enterprise Networks

CCNP TSHOOT: Maintaining and Troubleshooting IP Networks

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Chapter 2 Objectives
Identify troubleshooting principles and evaluate
troubleshooting methodologies.
Plan and implement troubleshooting procedures as part of a
structured troubleshooting methodology.
Plan and implement troubleshooting and network
maintenance procedures to effectively support each other.

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Troubleshooting Methodologies
Flow chart of a structured troubleshooting approach

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Troubleshooting Methodologies
Shoot from the hip vs. structured troubleshooting method

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Troubleshooting Approaches

Top-down
Bottom-up
Divide and conquer
Follow-the-path
Spot the differences
Move the problem

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Troubleshooting Approaches - Spot the Differences Example

Branch1 is in good working order

Branch1# show ip route
<output omitted>
10.0.0.0/24 is subnetted, 1 subnets
C
10.132.125.0 is directly connected, FastEthernet4
C
192.168.36.0/24 is directly connected, BVI1
S*
0.0.0.0/0 [254/0] via 10.132.125.1

Branch2 has connectivity problems

Branch2# show ip route
<output omitted>
10.0.0.0/24 is subnetted, 1 subnets
C
10.132.126.0 is directly connected, FastEthernet4
C
192.168.37.0/24 is directly connected, BVI1

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Troubleshooting Approaches - Move the Problem Example

Laptop B is having network problems. Cable or port swapping can help
isolate the problem.

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Implementing Troubleshooting Procedures

Defining the problem

Gathering information
Analyzing the information
Eliminating possible problem causes
Formulating a hypothesis about the likely cause of the
problem
Testing that hypothesis
Solving the problem

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The Troubleshooting Process Verify and Define the Problem

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The Troubleshooting Process Gather Information

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The Troubleshooting Process Analyze

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The Troubleshooting Process Eliminate

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The Troubleshooting Process Propose Hypothesis

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The Troubleshooting Process Test Hypothesis

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The Troubleshooting Process Solve Problem

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The Troubleshooting and Network Maintenance

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The Troubleshooting and Network Maintenance Cont.

Accurate documentation is critical to effective

troubleshooting.
A network baseline is essential and can include:
Interface load for critical network links (IOS)
CPU load and memory usage of routers and switches (SNMP)
Accounting of network traffic (NBAR, NetFlow)
Measurement of network performance characteristics (IP SLA)

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Communication and Change Control

Communication plays a role in all phases of structured troubleshooting.

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Communication and Change Control Cont.

Change control is a fundamental process in network maintenance.
Controls when changes are made, authorization required and what
actions are taken.
Can reduce unplanned outages and increase network uptime.
The change control process:
Implement the change
Verify that it achieved the desired results
Roll back if necessary
Back up the changed configurations or software
Document/communicate your changes

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Disaster Recovery Tools

Successful disaster recovery is dependent on the existence
of the following:
Up to date configuration backups
Up to date software backups
Up to date hardware inventories and documentation
Configuration and software provisioning tools

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Chapter 2 Summary
The fundamental elements of a troubleshooting process:
Gathering of information and symptoms
Analyzing information
Eliminating possible causes
Formulating a hypothesis
Testing the hypothesis

Some commonly used troubleshooting approaches are:

Top-down
Bottom-up
Divide-and-conquer
Follow-the-path
Spot the differences
Move the problem
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Chapter 2 Summary Cont.

Useful data to gather and create a network baseline are:
Basic performance statistics using show commands
Accounting of network traffic using RMON, NBAR, or NetFlow statistics
Measurements of network performance characteristics using the IP SLA
feature in IOS

Communication is an essential part of the troubleshooting

process and happens in all stages of troubleshooting:
Report the problem
Gather information
Analyze and eliminate possible causes
Propose and test a hypothesis
Solve the problem

Change control is one of the most fundamental processes in

network maintenance.
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Chapter 2 Labs
There are no labs for this chapter.

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