Network Troubleshooting Model

As a Network Administrator, Troubleshooting in an efficient and effective way is key to resolving many of the wide array of issues that can occur day to day.
For many offices, it is imperative  that services and systems run optimally and consistently,
however, problems will always arise and getting to the very source of the problem often requires an almost “detective” like thought  process. Adhering to an a Troubleshooting workflow insures that you take into consideration all factors, consider possibilities for why the failure occurred as well as preventing these same issues from reoccurring.

Lets first take a look at the Troubleshooting Model before going into greater detail:

• Identify the Problem.

 Gather Information.
 Identify Symptoms.
 Question User.
 Determine if anything has changed.

• Establish a Theory of Probable Cause.

 Question the user.

• Test the Theory to determine cause.

 Does this confirm the theory?

• Establish a plan of action to resolve the and identify possible effects.

• Implement  the Solution or escalate as necessary.

• Verify full system functionality.

  Implement preventive measures.

• Document findings, actions and outcomes.

The first step must be to define the problem. This involves gathering the facts, obtaining information to better understand what exactly has occurred. Should the problem be with a user’s PC, asking clear and concise questions regarding  to the system may help gain a better understanding of the situation. Should the issue be in relation to a networking system, determining if anything has recently changed may also help in narrowing down the scope of the investigation. When all the evidence has been collected, the administrator must then establish a theory. After eliminating potential causes and ruling out different hypotheses it is an educated assertion can be made and once a theory has been formed it can begun to be tested.

Should your first theory yield little result or not substantiate the problem, try re-establishing the theory. Having now ruled out more of the non-pertinent information, it is your refining the search. When a theory has been formed which seems strong, then its time to create an action plan. This may involve thinking out the right course to take or even documenting  an itinerary to best navigate the solution. Often is the case that a problem is not only system isolated but network wide, so planning the appropriate steps requires thought and care. (For example  if a time-frame for a maintenance window needs  to be drawn up.) 

With the action plan devised it is then time to be implemented. However complicated the procedure for resolving the issue, documenting each step is vital, especially when configuration changes are taking  place. It may be that an administrator has to roll-back these changes, and having a detailed outline of the system environment will make this process run smoothly.   After deploying the action plan and having carried out each step an administrator needs to verify that the problem has been resolved. Every symptom that was before present needs to ironed out and only then is the issue fully resolved.

The final steps of the Troubleshooting Model involve implementing preventive measures to ensure there isn’t  a repeat of the issue, this may involve updating the Firewall parameters to improving user awareness. Creating  a “Post-Mortem” report, will give future reference which will prove useful should the administrator need to carry out troubleshooting in the future. Documenting your findings, noting configuration changes and highlighting system behaviours is a must for maintaining and understanding the network environment.