Chapter Two

A Guide to Network Troubleshooting: Basic Steps, Tips and Tools

In this guide, we will discuss some of the things you should do when a network goes wrong, whether it’s
a personal network or a network that you manage professionally as a network administrator. This guide
should also prepare you to go through a repeatable process in diagnosing and addressing a network issue.
The hope is that, by introducing you to tried and true methods, you can develop experience with network
issues and troubleshoot each issue more quickly than the last.

What Is Troubleshooting a Network?

The term troubleshooting refers to the process of identifying problems with a network through a
rigorous and repeatable process and then solving those problems using testable methods.
Troubleshooting is more effective than trying things at random until the network functions because
it allows you to target individual network components, testing each for function, and encourages
you to document your process. Network troubleshooting is useful for almost anyone, from a
computer enthusiast to an aspiring network engineer.

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Why Troubleshooting Skills Are Essential for Network Management
Network troubleshooting skills are nice to have in the home so you can avoid inconvenience when
your network goes down, but for many businesses, having a professional with network
troubleshooting skills on site is essential. While home network outages may just be an annoyance
— preventing you from finishing your movie on Netflix or delaying your online chat conversation
with a friend — network outages in the workplace can grind many modern businesses, which rely
heavily on connectivity, to a halt.

Businesses certainly recognize the importance of maintaining a fully operational network. In

CompTIA’s Building Digital Organizations research study, networking skills ranked fifth among
skills that companies wanted to improve, beating out skills such as cloud architecture or big data
analytics.

While emerging technology tends to make the most headlines and have the most potential for
growth, these technologies cannot provide value without being connected to the overall IT
architecture. As an organization’s technology footprint grows, its network needs will also change,
and troubleshooting will become more challenging and critical.

This time when a network is unavailable is known as network downtime. For a business that
operates online, every minute of downtime is a minute that client communications are hindered,
employees can’t access their data in the cloud and many of the business’s online tools and
applications are unavailable.

In other words, network downtime means lost profits, which can cost anywhere from hundreds of
thousands to millions of dollars an hour. In professional settings, network troubleshooting skills
are an absolute necessity in order to get a business back up on its feet as quickly as possible.

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 Basic Network Troubleshooting Steps
Network troubleshooting is a repeatable process, which means that you can break it down into
clear steps that anyone can follow.

1. Identify the Problem

The first step in troubleshooting a network is to identify the problem. As a part of this step, you
should do the following:

 Gather information about the current state of the network using the network troubleshooting tools
that you have available to you.
 Duplicate the problem on a test piece of hardware or software, if possible. This can help you to
confirm where your problem lies.
 Question users on the network to learn about the errors or difficulties they have encountered.
 Identify the symptoms of the network outage. For example, do they include complete loss of
network connection? Slow behavior on the network? Is there a network-wide problem, or are the
issues only being experienced by one user?
 Determine if anything has changed in the network before the issues appeared. Is there a new piece
of hardware that’s in use? Has the network taken on new users? Has there been a software update or
change somewhere in the network?
 Define individual problems clearly. Sometimes a network can have multiple problems. This is the
time to identify each individual issue so that your solutions to one aren’t bogged down by other
unsolved problems.

2. Develop a Theory
Once you have finished gathering all the information that you can about the network issue or
issues, it’s time to develop a working theory. While you’re producing your theory about the causes
of the network issue, don’t be afraid to question the obvious, but remain on the lookout for more
serious issues. Sometimes a network outage occurs because someone tripped on a wire or some
other simple problem. However, at other times the problems might be related more complicated
causes, like a breach in network security.

3. Test the Theory

Using the tools at your disposal, it’s time to test your theory. If your theory is that the network
router is defective, try replacing it with another router to see if that fixes the issue. At this stage,
it’s important to remember that proving your own theories wrong doesn’t mean that you’ve failed.
Instead, it means that it’s time to return to step two, develop a new theory, and then find a way to
test that one. Sometimes your first theory may be right, but it’s also common to go through several
theories before arriving at the true cause of your network’s issues.

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4. Plan of Action
Once you’ve confirmed your theory about the causes of the network issues, you’re in a position to
solve them. Come up with a plan of action to address the problem. Sometimes your plan will
include just one step. For example, restart the router. In other cases, your plan will be more
complex and take longer, such as when you need to order a new part or roll a piece of software
back to a previous version on multiple users’ computers.

5. Implement the Solution

Now that you have a plan for fixing the network, it’s time to implement it. There are some solutions
that you may be able to do by yourself, while others may require cooperation from other network
administrators or users.

6. Verify System Functionality

Once you’ve implemented your solution, be sure to test the network. Make sure that the issue in
question has been resolved, but also be on the lookout for other issues that may have arisen from
the changes that you made to the network. As part of your verification process, make sure to
consult both the network tools at your disposal as well as individual user accounts of their
experiences on the network.

7. Document the Issue

If you are a network professional or an enthusiast who is around networks often, then it’s safe to
say that this won’t be the last time you encounter this particular issue. Make sure to document each
stage of troubleshooting the problem, including the symptoms that appeared on the network, the
theory you developed, your strategy for testing the theory and the solution that you came up with
to solve the issue. Even if you don’t reference this documentation, it may be helpful to another
network engineer at your company in the future and could help to shorten network downtime.

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Network Troubleshooting Tools
In addition to user reports and firsthand experience on the network, there are a number of tools
available for you to use when it comes to diagnosing and treating network issues. These tools may
exist in the computer’s operating system itself, as standalone software applications or as hardware
tools that you can use to troubleshoot a network.

Learn more about these topics in the Official CompTIA Network+ Study Guide.

Command-Line Tools
On Windows PCs, the command prompt can be accessed by searching for it in the start menu or
by typing “cmd” into the Run window. On a Linux system, you can press Ctrl + Alt + T to open
the command line.

The following commands can be entered into the command prompt one at a time to reveal
specific information about the network status:

 ping — A TCP/IP utility that transmits a datagram to another host, specified in the command. If
the network is functioning properly, the receiving host returns the datagram.
 tracert/traceroute —A TCP/IP utility that determines the route data takes to get to a particular
destination. This tool can help you to determine where you are losing packets in the network,
helping to identify problems.
 nslookup — A DNS utility that displays the IP address of a hostname or vice versa. This tool is
useful for identifying problems involving DNS name resolution.
 ipconfig — A Windows TCP/IP utility that verifies network settings and connections. It can tell
you a host’s IP address, subnet mask and default gateway, alongside other important network
information.
 ifconfig — A Linux or UNIX TCP/IP utility that displays the current network interface
configuration and enables you to assign an IP address to a network interface. Like ipconfig on
Windows, this command will tell you vital information about the network and its status.
 iptables — A Linux firewall program that protects a network. You can use this tool if you suspect
that your firewall may be too restrictive or too lenient.
 netstat — A utility that shows the status of each active network connection. This tool is useful for
finding out what services are running on a particular system.
 tcpdump — A utility that is used to obtain packet information from a query string sent to the
network interface. It’s available for free on Linux but can be downloaded as a command for
Windows.
 pathping — A TCP/IP command that provides information about latency and packet loss on a
network. It can help you troubleshoot issues related to network packet loss.
 nmap — A utility that can scan the entire network for various ports and the services that are
running on them. You can use it to monitor remote network connections and get specific
information about the network.

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 route — A command that enables manual updating of the routing table. It can be used to
troubleshoot static routing problems in a network.
 arp — A utility that supports the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) service of the TCP/IP
protocol suite. It lets the network admin view the ARP cache and add or delete cache entries. It can
be used to address problems having to do with specific connections between a workstation and a
host.
 dig — A Linux or UNIX command-line tool that will display name server information. It can be
used to troubleshoot problems in DNS name resolution.

Network Troubleshooting Applications

In addition to command-line tools, there are also a number of standalone applications that can be
used to determine the status of a network and to troubleshoot issues. Some of these applications
may be included in the system that you are working with, while others may need to be installed
separately.

 Packet Sniffer — Provides a comprehensive view of a given network. You can use this
application to analyze traffic on the network, figure out which ports are open and identify network
vulnerabilities.
 Port Scanner — Looks for open ports on the target device and gathers information, including
whether the port is open or closed, what services are running on a given port and information about
the operating system on that machine. This application can be used to figure out which ports are in
use and identify points in a network that could be vulnerable to outside attacks.
 Protocol Analyzer — Integrates diagnostic and reporting capabilities to provide a comprehensive
view of an organization's network. You can use analyzers to troubleshoot network problems and
detect intrusions into your network.
 Wi-Fi Analyzer — Detects devices and points of interference in a Wi-Fi signal. This tool can help
you to troubleshoot issues in network connectivity over a wireless network.
 Bandwidth Speed Tester — Tests the bandwidth and latency of a user’s internet connection. This
application is typically accessed through a third-party website and can be used to confirm user
reports about slow connections or download speeds.

Hardware Tools
Command-line tools and applications are software tools for troubleshooting, but some network
problems have hardware causes and solutions.

Here are some hardware tools that can help you diagnose and solve network issues:

 Wire Crimpers — A wire crimper (sometimes called a cable crimper) is a tool that attaches media
connectors to the ends of cables. You can use it to make or modify network cables.
 Cable Testers — A cable tester (sometimes called a line tester) is a tool that verifies if a signal is
transmitted by a given cable. You can use one to find out whether the cables in your network are
functioning properly when diagnosing connectivity issues.

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 Punch Down Tool — A punch down tool is used in a wiring closet to connect cable wires directly
to a patch panel or punch-down block. This tool makes it easier to connect wires than it would be
to do it by hand.
 TDR — A time-domain reflectometer (TDR) is a measuring tool that transmits an electrical pulse
on a cable and measures the reflected signal. In a functioning cable, the signal does not reflect and
is absorbed in the other end. An optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) is a similar tool, but
used for measuring fiber optic cables, which are becoming more common in modern networks.
 Light Meter — Light meters, also known as optical power meters, are devices used to measure the
power in an optical signal.
 Tone Generator — A tone generator is a device that sends an electrical signal through one pair of
UTP wires. On the other end, a tone locator or tone probe is a device that emits an audible tone
when it detects a signal in a pair of wires. You can use these tools to verify that signals are passing
through the wires in your network. They are often used to confirm phone connectivity.
 Loopback Adapter — A loopback adapter is a virtual or physical tool that can be used for
troubleshooting network transmission issues. It can be used by utilizing a special connector that
redirects the electrical signal back to the transmitting system.
 Multimeter — A multimeter (sometimes called a volt/ohm meter) is an electronic measuring
instrument that takes electrical measurements such as voltage, current and resistance. There are
hand-held multimeters for fieldwork as well as bench-top models for in-house troubleshooting.
 Spectrum Analyzer — A spectrum analyzer is an instrument that displays the variation of a signal
strength against the frequency.

How to Develop Your Network

Troubleshooting Skills
These are just a few of the steps you can follow and tools that you can use to troubleshoot an
issue in your network. For home networks, many issues can be solved relatively simply, by
checking connections, making sure that everything is plugged in and using built-in diagnostic
tools.

However, if you want a job working on computer networks, you’ll need to develop your
troubleshooting skills to match. Network troubleshooting is an essential skill to have when
looking for a job as a network engineer or network administrator, since companies are primarily
concerned with minimizing their network downtime.

If you’re looking for a job, an IT certification related to computer networking is essential as

proof of your abilities. Keep in mind that certification exams test your skills very closely, so
make sure to seek out appropriate network training to properly prepare for your exam and test
with confidence.

In order to really develop your skills that will land you the job, it’s important to combine training
and certifications with real-world network troubleshooting experience. This experience doesn’t
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have to come from a job – you can practice your IT skills by tinkering with your own equipment
or volunteering with local nonprofits to improve their networks and resolve any issues they’re
having.