H177 34 – TROUBLESHOOTING COMPUTER PROBLEMS

APPROACHES TO PROBLEM SOLVING

SIX STEP TROUBLESHOOTING METHODOLOGY

1. Identify The Problem

2. Establish a theory of probable cause
3. Test the theory to determine the cause

4. Establish a plan of action to Resolve the Problem and Implement the Solution
5. Verify full system functionality

6. Document findings, actions and outcomes

APPROACHES TO PROBLEM SOLVING

• There are a number of different approaches you can use when problem solving
• Selecting the most effective troubleshooting approach will allow you to resolve a problem
in less time as you will be more efficient

• There two main types of troubleshooting approach we will look at are:

• Linear (top-down and bottom-up methods)
• Half-Split
APPROACHES TO PROBLEM SOLVING

• Problem Solving approaches can be related to step 2 of the 6 Step Troubleshooting

Process:

• Establish a Theory of Probably Cause

• Unless the problem is very simple, or you are very experienced, then it is likely you will
need to employ a troubleshooting approach to help you come up with a number of
theories as to why the problem is occurring
LINEAR APPROACH

• Linear testing strategy methods of troubleshooting are often split into two main areas

• Bottom-up and Top-down testing approaches

• Both have advantages and disadvantages and can be used in differing situations as we
will see
LINEAR TESTING - BOTTOM-UP APPROACH

• The bottom-up approach to troubleshooting a computer problem would start with the
physical components and works up the applications layer
• Bottom-up troubleshooting is an effective and efficient approach for situations when the
problem is suspected to be physical
• Physical problems are usually fairly easy to rule out and can save you time
troubleshooting other higher-level issues
• For example, if the cable is unplugged, it does not make sense to spend time trying to
determine network access by using traceroute or ping commands
LINEAR TESTING – TOP-DOWN APPROACH

• When you apply a top-down approach to troubleshooting a computer problem, you start
with the user application and work your way down the layers of the OSI model

• The top-down approach is usually the simple route and typically affects only one or a few
users

• Lower layers, or network infrastructure, usually affect more than a few users

LINEAR TESTING – TOP-DOWN APPROACH – OSI MODEL
LINEAR TESTING– TOP-DOWN APPROACH

• If a layer is not in good working condition, you inspect the layer below it
• When you know that the current layer is not in working condition and you discover that a
lower layer works, you can conclude that the problem is within the layer above the lower
working layer

• After you have discovered which layer is the lowest layer with problems, you can begin
identifying the cause of the problem from within that layer
LINEAR TESTING– TOP-DOWN APPROACH

• For Example:
• A user cannot get to a website
• The technician can start at the top of the OSI model and try accessing a different website
• If the other website can be accessed, the problem is probably with the first website
• If the second site is also inaccessible, the technician can move down the OSI model and
check for a firewall blocking ports at the transport layer
• The technician could then check IP settings on the host and try pinging the default
gateway or the DNS servers to determine if the problem is at the network layer
WHICH TESTING STRATEGY TO CHOOSE?

• To make a decision on which one to use you should use you should first:

• 1. Determine the scope of the problem

• 2. Apply your experience
• 3. Analyse the symptoms
DETERMINING THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

• Means you should select the troubleshooting approach based on the perceived complexity
of the problem

• A bottom-up approach typically works better for complex problems

• A top-down approach is typically best for simpler problems
• or where the technician doesn’t have the necessary knowledge or experience in dealing
with the issue
DETERMINING THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

• Imagine a typical PC Helpdesk that receives help requests from users

• Typically the help request are of a reasonably simplistic nature (login problems etc.)

• In most cases in this scenario you should use a top-down approach

• It is more likely that the problem will be found quicker that way
DETERMINING THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

• However if the problem has been reported by specialist equipment

• E.g. network monitoring devices reporting a connectivity fault

• Then Using a bottom-up approach will likely be more effective

• Be aware though - Using a bottom-up approach for a simple problem might be wasteful
and inefficient
APPLY YOUR EXPERIENCE

• Consider if you have previously successfully cured a particular problem in the past (or
perhaps a similar problem)
• You might know of a way or a shortcut to expedite the troubleshooting process

• If you are less experienced, you likely will implement a top-down approach regardless of
the circumstances as you don’t have the required level of knowledge
• In contrast, if you are skilled at troubleshooting, you might be able to get a head start by
beginning at a different layer using the Half-Split method
ANALYSE THE SYMPTOMS

• Allows you to have a better chance of solving a problem if you know more about it

• As an Example: You received a call from an individual complaining that they cannot print
• You would first find out if others in the department could print
• Then ask if the individual could print whilst logged into another departmental machine
• If the other members can print and the staff member can print from another machine, then
you must suspect the staff members own machine
• You would employ a bottom-up approach whilst at that machine
HALF-SPLIT TESTING APPROACH

• The Half-Split Method (also known as the Divide-and-Conquer Approach) is

generally used by more experienced technicians
• The technician will use their experience to make an educated guess as to where the fault
may lie, and then progress forward or backward depending on their results

• This approach works for technical, networking or software problems

• The method is a logical way of applying the system knowledge to isolate the fault
HALF-SPLIT TESTING APPROACH

• On a complex system, this method saves troubleshooting time by allowing you to

eliminate half of the remaining system with each test
• What could have taken an hour in a sequential search has taken 10 minutes or less
• Good documentation is also required. 
• The best documentation will also include an explanation of system operation and the
interaction of the sub components
• Even an experienced technician wouldn’t have the first idea how to find a problem in an
unfamiliar system except to follow a linear approach without documentation available
HALF-SPLIT TESTING APPROACH

• Imagine a computers components (hardware & software) represented as a series of distinct

blocks
• One way to fault find an issue with the network connection would be to start at Block A and
continue checking each block until the fault is found
• This would be the linear approach
• However a more efficient way to test this system would be to start testing between block C and D
• If this works, then go forward to testing between E and F
• If not, then go back to testing between blocks A and B
HALF-SPLIT TESTING APPROACH - EXAMPLE

• In the example above, we have a problem accessing our intranet

• We could follow the Linear approach and start investigating at the ISP and then continue
checking each section sequentially until the fault is found
• However a more efficient way, if we had the necessary knowledge and experience, would
be to start testing the communication between Network Cable and Network Card
• If this works, then go forward to testing the communication between the Operating
System and Application
• If not, then go back to testing between the communication between ISP and Router.
HALF-SPLIT TESTING APPROACH - PROBABILITY

• There’s an old card trick to help demonstrate this method

• Let’s say we asked someone to pick a card from a 52-card deck of standard playing cards
• By asking them six “yes” or “no” questions, you can figure out what card they picked
• The first question would be, “Is your card red?” Let's say the answer is “no.”
• Now we know the card is black, having already eliminated 26 cards from the deck — not
too bad with one question
• The next question, “Is your card a club?” The answer is “yes,” eliminating 13 more cards
• At this point, we know the card is neither red nor a spade, leaving us with 13 suspect cards
HALF-SPLIT TESTING APPROACH - PROBABILITY

• You ask, “With the ace being high, is your card a 7 or below.” A negative response to this question, and we're
down to seven cards — after asking only three questions
• We now know the card is a club (8 or higher)
• Half-split again by asking if the card is a jack or higher. A “yes” takes us down to four cards
• Asking if the card is a king or higher reveals a “no,” narrowing the suspect cards down to two
• The next question solves the problem. “Is your card a queen?” Another “no,” and we know the card is the jack of
clubs
• Asking six questions eliminated 51 of the 52 cards.
• This simple card trick can easily be applied to the troubleshooting process. Simply look at a computer system as a
group of individual components. You know one of them is not functioning properly
• Therefore, what questions can you ask that will begin to eliminate the largest group of components?