Section 41.1. Network Troubleshooting Essentials


41.1. Network Troubleshooting Essentials

One of the things that the creators of the LPI Exams knew was that you need to take a systematic approach to troubleshooting. When faced with a networking problem, inexperienced administrators often begin clicking the mouse button and pecking away at the keyboard without first clearly identifying the problem.

You need a methodology before you can begin altering files and running commands. The LPI Exam will not necessarily ask you what that method should be. However, the questions that deal with troubleshooting will often be phrased in a way that suggests a problem exists for some mysterious reason.

If you take the time to think about the situation being presented, you will find that the problem is not that mysterious and that you can make an educated guess at the correct answer. Once you are equipped with the proper perspective, you can then focus on the commands to use and the files to edit. Table 41-1 discusses essential troubleshooting steps to take when approaching a problem.

Table 41-1. Essential network troubleshooting steps

Troubleshooting step

Description

Gather all of the facts.

Carefully observe the problem. Many times, you will be presented with different ways to survey the issue. Read log files, analyze screen output, and use applications such strace and ltrace to gain a more informed perspective.

Listen to your first impressions.

If you have experience with system administration, your intuition can be useful.

Remain flexible.

Do not stubbornly stick to one idea. After a few failed attempts, consider taking a new approach to the problem, at least for a while. If this new approach does not solve the problem, return to your original idea, or take another direction.

Categorize the problem.

Try to determine if the problem is hardware- or software-related. Then, determine if the client or the server is experiencing issues. Remember to be flexible. A problem might seem to belong in one category at first, but may belong in another.

Make educated guesses.

An educated guess is not a wild stab at a solution. Form a hypothesis, then conduct experiments. Make sure that the changes you make are not harmful.

Document your impressions and attempts.

Writing down the steps you take will help you be more systematic and will help you recover from mistakes. Other administrators who come after you will appreciate it. In many cases, troubleshooting can take considerable time. Notes can help you remember exactly what steps you took, what files you reviewed and altered, and the result of each step.

Create and verify backups.

Before you alter a file to solve a problem, make sure that you store backups of the files.




LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell
LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (OReilly))
ISBN: 0596005288
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 257

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