Pitfalls of Troubleshooting

Above all, when trying to research a problem on the network, remember that you are indeed on a network, and the actions you take can potentially affect other users. When using troubleshooting tools, be sure you first understand how they work and also the correct way to use them. For example, what procedure do you have in place to help users who forget their password? Is a simple call to the help desk all that is required to get the password changed? If so, how does the help-desk technician know who's on the other end of the line? Although it may seem inconvenient to require the user to report to a supervisor or another person who is a delegated local authority to change his password, this technique is more secure than allowing a simple phone call to place your network in jeopardy.

Other examples include using the route command to change routing tables. An experienced network technician should do this, and not as a quick fix to solve some network problem that you can't quite put your finger on. If you don't know why the routing problem is happening, don't try to fix it with a quick fix! You might end up causing other routers or computers to use less efficient routes and, in the long run, experience network loss through degradation. Understand the tools you use for your troubleshooting efforts.

In a complex network that involves DNS servers, DHCP servers, and possibly even WINS servers, you should be very careful before making changes on the fly. Again, I want to emphasize that a quick fix may solve the current problem, but can also possibly create another that you don't become aware of until much later, after the damage has been done. Help-desk personnel should be required to contact experienced system administrators before changes are made on these types of servers.

A simple name change in a DNS server, for example, could render a server unreachable for everyone on your network if the wrong address or record type is entered by mistake. Along the same lines, a very common mistake is to use an IP address for a server that falls within the range of the addresses offered by a DHCP server. When the DHCP server allocates that address to another client, everything gets screwed up on the network! Coordinate changes to important network databases and make sure that the person doing the work is fully competent to do it.