Gather Enough Information Before You Start Solving the Problem — How to Do Troubleshooting

Gathering information before starting to solve problems is one of the most important steps to take when working on resolving a specific issue, especially when the work involves helping various companies solve IT problems that may not already be known.

First of all, it is very important to gather relevant information and data before starting to solve the problem. My story today highlights the importance of this, as I wasted two hours on a problem that was fundamentally simple but turned into a dilemma, because I did not gather enough information before starting.

When one of the companies you know contacts you saying they have a problem and the IT team has failed to solve it, it is essential that you be ready and equipped to verify and search for information. You must bring the appropriate research and exploration tools, such as cables, laptops, and maintenance discs, and it is also preferable to bring a small switch and router for testing and experimentation. Most importantly, you should have a note on your forehead reminding you to gather information yourself first and not rely too heavily on what others tell you.

The story begins when a friend (an IT manager) calls and tells you he has a simple problem he needs your help solving. You ask him for the details of the problem, and he tells you that there is a device that cannot access the server.

You head to the work area thinking to yourself that the problem is simple and that your friend does not want to think too hard about solving it. But before we get into the details, let me first present a diagram of the network topology.

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When I arrived, my friend told me that device number one was unable to connect to the database. When I sat down at the device and tried to open the accounting software known as "Fox," a message appeared telling me there was a problem connecting to the server and that a firewall might be blocking access. When I saw the word "firewall," I immediately took note and said to myself: "Could the Microsoft firewall be enabled?" I opened the network card window and went into the firewall settings, and I discovered that the firewall was indeed enabled. I laughed inwardly and said: "Did I really come here just to disable the firewall?" I disabled the firewall, but of course, the software still did not work!

I asked my friend for the IP address of the server, and he told me it was "192.168.1.4". I ran a ping test on the server and found it was working fine. I then accessed the files stored on the server and discovered that all the files were showing with nothing unusual.

At that point, I wondered to myself when I would ever find a problem that could be solved in one minute. My friend asked me to try connecting to the server via another Windows XP system, saying there was no problem with that. I immediately asked him: "Is the device next to it also unable to connect to the server?" He replied: "Yes, all four devices here can no longer connect to the server!"

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I expressed my surprise and said to him: "Why didn't you tell me this from the beginning?" His innocent answer was: "You didn't ask, and that was my mistake," and indeed, that was a mistake in gathering information properly.

At that moment, I wondered whether the small switch between those four devices had any role in the problem, especially since network problems are often illogical. I swapped the switch with another one, but the result was the same; I still could not connect!

After two hours of failed experiments, I decided to go back to gathering information. I asked about the location of the accounting software settings, and my friend told me they are usually in the registry. I said to him: "Let's open the registry and check the settings — maybe they have changed!" He told me that was difficult because the users do not have permission to make changes, and it would be impossible for the settings of four devices to be changed at the same time. I said: "Let's open it and check anyway." We went into the registry settings, and there was the surprise: the IP address was 192.168.1.3!

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I asked my friend: "Who owns IP address 192.168.1.3?" He replied that it belongs to the second database server. And indeed, that was a very pleasant surprise. I then asked why he had initially told me the server address was 1.4, and he told me he had forgotten that some users work on server 1.3!!

I said to him: "Let's open server 1.3 and check its status." And certainly we would find a problem with the server and the accounting software inside it, which my friend could solve in just a few minutes.

Sharing this experience is meant to remind you — and to remind myself as well — of the importance of gathering information accurately before we start solving any problem. Sometimes our past experiences can cause us bigger problems with a small issue we are trying to solve, and this requires higher costs and wastes more time. I hope you enjoyed this little journey with me, and don't forget us in your prayers. I wish you all the best.

And with this, my friend, we have successfully completed the mission

And don't forget our brothers in Gaza in your prayers

With greetings from the #Ezznology team

And find what interests you at #our store

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Gather Enough Information Before You Start Solving the Problem "” How to Perform Troubleshooting

Gather Enough Information Before You Start Solving the Problem — How to Do Troubleshooting