Implementing effective network troubleshooting involves a multi-step approach. These steps both provide a framework for troubleshooting and help reduce the amount of time spent resolving problems:
- Identify the problem: This seems obvious, but we often assume that we know the exact scope of the problem, when we might be better served gathering information, identifying symptoms, and, when applicable, questioning users. If there is more than one problem, we should recognize it as such so we can approach each problem individually. Sometimes, the end users are good sources of information. For example, you can ask a user how the system behaves during normal operation and compare it to how the system currently behaves. Recreate the problem, if possible, and try to isolate the location of the problem.
- Formulate a theory of probable cause: A single problem can have...