Working as a sysadmin I use my troubleshooting ability on a daily basis. I also see a lot of other techs really struggle with troubleshooting. I have never had any formal training on troubleshooting, I think it is one of those skills I was just born with and I am happy I was. It makes my life easier. But I do realize that not everyone has this skill and I want to share a basic troubleshooting methodology that anyone can follow for any troubleshooting they need to do.
Troubleshooting typically consists of the following steps:
1) Define
2) Analyze
3) Implement
Define
Problem Statement: Create a clear, concise statement of the problem.
Identify the symptoms: What works? What doesn't?
Identify Differences and Changes: What has changed recently? What is unique about this system?
Analyze
Brainstorm: Gather Hypotheses: What might have caused the problem?
Identify Likely Causes: Which hypotheses are most likely?
Test Possible Causes: Schedule the testing for the most likely hypotheses. Perform any non-disruptive testing immediately.
Implement
Implement the Fix: Complete the repair.
Verify the Fix: Is the problem really fixed?
Document the Resolution: What did we do?
Using this basic formula will provide a smooth, timely troubleshooting path. I'll focus on more real world examples in my next post.
Jeff
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