Operating Systems: i5/OS
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Overview and new features for troubleshooting
Use the links provided in this topic to learn about troubleshooting
and problem determination capabilities.
- What is new for troubleshooters
-
This topic provides an overview of new and changed features in troubleshooting
tools and support.
- Diagnosing problems (using diagnosis tools)
-
This topic provides a place to start your search for troubleshooting
information.
Troubleshooting overview
Troubleshooting is the
process of finding and eliminating the cause of a problem. Whenever you have
a problem with your IBM software, the troubleshooting process begins as soon
as you ask yourself what happened? A basic troubleshooting strategy at a high
level involves:
- Recording the symptoms.
- Recreating the problem.
- Eliminating possible causes.
- Using diagnostic tools.
Recording the symptoms of the problem
Depending
on the type of problem you have, whether it be with your application, your
server, or your tools, you might receive a message that indicates something
is wrong. Always record the error message that you see. As simple as this
sounds, error messages sometimes contain codes that might make more sense
as you investigate your problem further. You might also receive multiple error
messages that look similar but have subtle differences. By recording the details
of each one, you can learn more about where your problem exists.
Recreating the problem
Think back to what
steps you were doing that led you to this problem. Try those steps again to
see if you can easily recreate this problem. If you have a consistently repeatable
test case, you will have an easier time determining what solutions are necessary.
- How did you first notice the problem?
- Did you do anything different that made you notice the problem?
- Is the process that is causing the problem a new procedure, or has it
worked successfully before?
- If this worked before what has changed? The change can refer to any type
of change made to the system, ranging from adding new hardware or software,
to configuration changes to existing software.
- What was the first symptom of the problem you witnessed? Were there other
symptoms occurring around that point of time?
- Does the same problem occur elsewhere? Is only one machine experiencing
the problem or are multiple machines experiencing the same problem?
- What messages are being generated that could indicate what the problem
is?
Eliminating possible causes
Narrow the scope
of your problem by eliminating components that are not causing the problem.
By using a process of elimination, you can simplify your problem and avoid
wasting time in areas that are not culprits. Consult the information in this
product and other available resources to help you with your elimination process.
Using diagnostic tools
As a more advanced
task, there are various tools used to to analyze and diagnose problems
with your system. To learn how to use these tools see Diagnosing problems (using diagnosis tools).