Using a Troubleshooting Methodology

Novell^® Technical Support recommends that you follow the same basic steps in all troubleshooting efforts. Following a standard procedure helps you solve technical problems faster and in an orderly way.

The following tasks are those that any Novell Technical Support representative would ask you to perform if you called Technical Support. By following these steps on your own, you might be able to resolve problems without assistance. Then, if you still need to call Technical Support, you will already have the information prepared for the representatives to solve your technical problems more quickly.

• Keeping Your Servers Patched
• Eliminating Obvious Causes
• Gathering Information
• Simplifying the System
• Using Troubleshooting Resources
• Developing Hypotheses and Performing Tests
• Looking for Additional Help
• Documenting the Solution

You can find additional tips in TID 2938836, "Before Calling Support for OS Issues" at Novell's Support Web site.

Keeping Your Servers Patched

Many problems that might occur on your server will have already been solved by Novell and provided in the form of a patch file. It is essential that you load all server and client patches.

Novell provides regular Support Packs that contain patches for the complete operating system and associated products. To locate the latest patches for your network, see the Minimum Patch List page on the Novell Support Web site.

To locate specific patches for SERVER.NLM and updates for other NLM^TM programs, see the Patches and Files page on the Novell Support Web site. Copy updated NLM programs to the server's startup directory where they will overwrite the previous versions.

In addition, be sure you use up-to-date drivers for the version of NetWare that you are using. Use drivers that ship with the product; drivers that are tested, certified, and made available on the Novell's Support Web site; or certified drivers released by hardware vendors. Check product certification bulletins on the DeveloperNet^® Web site at Novell Solutions Search. In the Software category, select LAN adapters or WAN adapters to learn which versions are most recent.

ODI^TM HSM Specification 3.31 supports NBI (NetWare Bus Interface), HIN (hardware instance number), instance unload, and industry-standard PCI Hot Plug technology. Do not mix uses of a driver written to the 3.3x/1.1x ODI Specification with 3.2 ODI Specification support modules. The LAN driver certification bulletin will list the specification a LAN driver is written to. In some cases, you will need to contact the IHV (independent hardware vendor) that wrote the driver.

To verify the compatibility of the ODI modules with the LAN drivers on your server, download and run DRVSPC.EXE.

NetWare 6 drivers for storage devices and host bus adapters are written to the NWPA (NetWare Peripheral Architecture^TM) specification.

Eliminating Obvious Causes

Be sure to eliminate any obvious causes for network problems---such as making sure that everything is plugged in and that the power is on. Consider the following:

• Check the Novell Knowledgebase for known problems with software and hardware.
• Inventory the hardware and cabling systems to make sure that everything is plugged in, connected, and terminated properly.
• Check for user errors.
• Make sure that all hardware is Novell certified. Check the Novell DeveloperNet Web site for a list of hardware and software products certified to run with NetWare.
• Make sure that there are no rights problems. Insufficient rights prevent you or your users from accessing volumes, directories, and files and from performing file operations.

Gathering Information

Start gathering information about the context of the problem. Ask the following questions:

• When does the problem happen? For example, a problem that occurs regularly at midnight could be related to file compression. A problem occurring in the morning could be related to spikes in network usage as users log in.
• Can you duplicate the problem? Is it constant or intermittent? If intermittent, at what intervals does it happen?
• Can the problem be associated with other activities happening on the network at the same time or with specific hardware and software? For example, does the problem occur only when the network activity is highest? Does it occur only on certain workstation platforms?
• Did anything change shortly before the problem began to occur? For example, did you install new software?
• What components of the network are involved---the server, some or all of the workstations, printers, or other peripheral devices?
• What error or console messages are displayed? What NLM program is the source of the message? Check server error logs.
• What do configuration and log files reveal? If you need to call Novell Technical Support, gather information about your server and network, including log files such as ABEND.LOG, SYS$LOG.ERR, and VOL$LOG.ERR. Also have your hardware and software configuration and version numbers available.

  To get this information, you can run, view, and send a configuration report on your server using NetWare Remote Manager. For procedures, see Running and Viewing the Server Configuration Report in the NetWare Remote Manager Administration Guide.

• If you suspect problems with eDirectory, gather the following information:
  • Number of servers in the tree
  • Structure of the tree
  • Number of objects per partition
  • Error messages
  • Names of servers holding master replicas
  • Versions of eDirectory on pertinent servers

• Compare the affected computers to similar computers. Do some computers have the problem, while others do not? If so, what is different between the affected and unaffected computers?

Simplifying the System

If there is any danger of losing data, back up the system before you do any further troubleshooting.

Simplify the system and eliminate as many variables as possible to isolate the source of the problem.

• Try running the server without the AUTOEXEC.NCF or STARTUP.NCF file. You can comment out the commands in the .NCF files, or you can execute SERVER with the -na or -ns option. (To comment out a command, type REM and a space at the beginning of the command line.)

  For an explanation of these load options, see SERVER in the Utilities Reference.

• Unload all NLM programs. Remove all nonessential products, including virus scanners and server metering modules, until the server software is in a basic or default configuration.
• Remove or disconnect peripheral devices.
• Remove extra network boards or LAN adapters.

When you have simplified the server as much as possible, note whether the problem happens again. To determine whether the operating system is the source of the problem, restore each component of the system, one at a time, checking to see whether the addition of the component generates the problem.

Using Troubleshooting Resources

Novell and other vendors provide research tools you can use to resolve problems.

For example:

• The Novell Knowledgebase.

  This site contains Technical Information Documents (TIDs), Solutions, and patches. You can browse by product or search using partial filenames and wildcards. You might look for the Top 20 Downloads or the most recently released files.

• Novell Support Forms.

  Here you can post technical questions and receive a response from a Novell Certified System Operator (SysOp). You can also browse responses that have already been posted.

• The Novell DeveloperNet Web site.

  This site contains information about third-party products certified to run with NetWare. You can use a search facility that is form-based to locate tested and approved bulletins by category.

• Novell user groups, located in most cities and countries. Novell Users International (NUI) offers NetWare support forums on the World Wide Web.
• Novell Support Forums.

  Here you can post technical questions and receive a response from a Novell Certified System Operator (SysOp). You can also browse responses that have already been posted.

• Vendor Web sites that provide information and updated software to download.
• NetWare utilities, such as NetWare Remote Manager or MONITOR.

  NetWare Remote Manager can be used from a workstation through a Web browser. From this utility, you can track down high users of server memory, server CPU, server processes, server disk space, etc. For more information about using this utility, see the NetWare Remote Manager Administration Guide.

  The MONITOR utility can provide important clues to the source of server or network performance problems. For more information about using this utility, see MONITOR in the Utilities Reference.

Developing Hypotheses and Performing Tests

After you have gathered information, eliminated obvious causes, or simplified your system, you can determine what you think is the most likely cause of the problem. You might develop several hypotheses. If so, decide which is the most likely, the next mostly likely, etc. Base your hypotheses on the data you have gathered and on your own experience with the system.

After you have developed your hypotheses, test them, keeping these tips in mind:

• Decide which hypothesis seems the most likely and test this one first. Test the least likely hypothesis last. The only exception might be a hypothesis that is very quick and easy to test, in which case you might want to eliminate it first.
• Break down hypotheses into the smallest possible components and test each one separately. For example, if you suspect the problem is with the physical network, try to isolate which cable segments, boards, or connectors might be the source of the problem and then test each one individually. Test only one component at a time.
• Try replacing components. If you suspect a faulty component is causing the problem, replace it with a component that you know is good. Make sure that you replace only one component at a time.
• Simplify the system. If you have not already done so, try removing components from the system. If the problem still occurs, you have a smaller set of components left that can be the source of the problem. If the problem goes away, start reloading components one at a time. After each addition, note whether the problem occurs.

Looking for Additional Help

Be prepared, when asked, to tell the Novell Technical Support representative what troubleshooting steps you have already taken.

Using Novell Authorized Reseller Representatives

Find Service Partners by locality or area. For a list of resellers and distributors worldwide, check the Novell Support Web site > Partner Services.

Using Novell Support Tools

Novell has additional support tools available. For a list of these tools, see the Novell Support Web site > Support tools.

Opening a Support Incident

You can open a support incident online. To access the form, see the Novell Support Web site > Electronic Incident.

Documenting the Solution

After you resolve a server or network problem, document the solution thoroughly. The information will be helpful if similar problems occur in the future. Be sure to document changes to the server or network configuration, software and hardware updates or additions, new version numbers, workarounds, etc.