General Approach to Troubleshooting
Symptom – diagnosis – solution

Symptoms, Problems, and Solutions
Failures in networks are characterized by certain symptoms. These symptoms might be general, such as the inability to gain Internet access. Symptoms may also be more specific, such as the inability to access specific servers. Using specific troubleshooting tools and techniques can identify the problems or causes of each symptom. Once identified, each problem can be remedied by implementing a solution consisting of a series of actions.

General Problem-Solving Model
When troubleshooting a network environment, a systematic approach works best:

  1. Define the problem and gather the symptoms.
  2. Identify all potential causes that could be creating the symptoms observed.
  3. Eliminate each potential problem, from most likely to least likely, until the symptoms disappear.

Figure illustrates the process flow for the general problem-solving model. This process flow is not a rigid outline for troubleshooting a network. It is a foundation upon which a problem-solving process can be built to suit a particular environment. The flowchart in this section provides the specific steps needed to complete the process.

When a network is down, a systematic approach is required to restore it. In most troubleshooting scenarios, it is best to move from the general to the specific and eliminate unrelated variables to focus on the subset of variables that contains the solution. This is a fundamental principle of science and is not only applicable to network engineering. Breaking complex problems down into smaller steps and determining the relationships between them can help simplify the formation of a total solution after solving the smaller problems.

In some situations, the hardest part of troubleshooting is documentation after the problem is solved. A sample network diagram serves as a focal point for the compiled documentation. Careful documentation is a necessary process that will simplify life for the engineer and others in the organization. Documentation should be completed once during the WLAN site survey and again after the completed installation and testing phase. The lack of documentation can be a contributing factor in many problems. This is especially true when the staff does not have an accurate view of the current network status or past network performance. Documentation should provide clear and easily accessible information to those who need it. This information should also be easy to update. It is important to remember that documentation simplifies network management and greatly reduces the time required for problem resolution.


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Process Chart: Symptom-Diagnosis-Solution

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