The Art of Troubleshooting

There is no magic or innate ability that makes a good network troubleshooter. You will hear tales of people who have a gift for troubleshooting, but those who can troubleshoot well aren't necessarily gifted. Instead, good troubleshooters have a special combination of skills. The ability to competently and confidently troubleshoot networks comes from experience, a defined methodology, and sometimes just plain luck.

One of the factors that makes troubleshooting such a difficult task is the large number of variables that can come into play. Although it is difficult to preemptively list all the factors you have to consider while troubleshooting networks, this tutorial lists a few to help you start thinking in the right direction. When you are troubleshooting, thinking in the right direction is half the battle. Considering that most network administrators spend the majority of their troubleshooting time working on the devices connected to the network rather than on the network infrastructure, it is worth looking at some of the factors that can affect troubleshooting of devices connected to the network. First, let's look at the difference between troubleshooting a server and troubleshooting a workstation system.