Troubleshooting a problem

Troubleshooting is a systematic approach to solving a problem. The goal of troubleshooting is to determine why something does not work as expected and how to resolve the problem.

The first step in the troubleshooting process is to describe the problem completely. Problem descriptions help you and the HCL technical-support representative know where to start to find the cause of the problem. This step includes asking yourself basic questions:

  • What are the symptoms of the problem?
  • Where does the problem occur?
  • When does the problem occur?
  • Under which conditions does the problem occur?
  • Can the problem be reproduced?

What are the symptoms of the problem?

When starting to describe a problem, the most obvious question is What is the problem? This question might seem straightforward; however, you can break it down into several more-focused questions that create a more descriptive picture of the problem. These questions can include:

  • Who, or what, is reporting the problem?
  • What are the error codes and messages?
  • How does the system fail? For example, is it a loop, hang, crash, performance degradation, or incorrect result?

The answers to these questions typically lead to a good description of the problem, which can then lead you a problem resolution.

Two main ways to approach any problem you encounter are understanding messages and using log files.

Messages

Messages are issued when unexpected events occur. Messages can have any of these severities:
Informational
The message confirms an event that was requested or describes another normal occurrence. Informational messages generally do not require any action. The identifier of an informational message ends with the letter I.
Warning
The message describes an event that might indicate a problem. Read the message text and determine whether the event is normal or a problem. The identifier of a warning message ends with the letter W.
Error
The message describes an event that requires a response. Read the message description and the suggested response. The identifier of an error message ends with the letter E.
Severe Error
The message describes an event that requires a response. Read the message description and the suggested response. The identifier of an error message ends with the letter S.
Unrecoverable Error
The message indicates that an unrecoverable error was encountered and no requests were processed. Read the message description. The identifier of an error message ends with the letter U.
You can find a message description easily by entering its identifier into the Search box in the information center.