New features for troubleshooting
Use the links provided in this topic to learn about troubleshooting and problem determination capabilities.
- What is new for troubleshooters
This page provides an overview of new and changed features in troubleshooting tools and support.
- Diagnose problems (using diagnosis tools)
This page provides a place to start the search for troubleshooting information.
Troubleshooting overview
A basic troubleshooting strategy at a high level involves:
- Recording the symptoms.
- Recreating the problem.
- Eliminating possible causes.
- Use diagnostic tools.
Recording the symptoms of the problem
Depending on the type of problem we have, whether it be with the application, the server, or the tools, we might receive a message that indicates something is wrong. Always record the error message that you see. As simple as this sounds, error messages sometimes contain codes that might make more sense as you investigate the problem further. We might also receive multiple error messages that look similar but have subtle differences. By recording the details of each one, we can learn more about where the problem exists.
Recreating the problem
Think back to what steps you were doing that led you to this problem. Try those steps again to see if we can recreate this problem. If we have a consistently repeatable test case, you will have an easier time determining what solutions are necessary.
- How did you first notice the problem?
- Did you do anything different that made you notice the problem?
- Is the process that is causing the problem a new procedure, or has it worked successfully before?
- If this worked before what has changed? The change can refer to any type of change made to the system, ranging from adding new hardware or software, to configuration changes to existing software.
- What was the first symptom of the problem you witnessed? Were there other symptoms occurring around that point of time?
- Does the same problem occur elsewhere? Is only one machine experiencing the problem or are multiple machines experiencing the same problem?
- What messages are being generated that could indicate what the problem is?
Eliminating possible causes Narrow the scope of the problem by eliminating components that are not causing the problem.
By using a process of elimination, we can simplify the problem and avoid wasting time in areas that are not culprits. Consult the information in this product and other available resources to help you with the elimination process.
- Has anyone else experienced this problem? See the topic on searching knowledge bases.
- Is there a fix we can download? See the topic on getting fixes.
- Use the WAS Troubleshooting Guide to work through the cause of a problem
Use diagnostic tools
As a more advanced task, there are various tools that we can use to analyze and diagnose problems with the system. To learn how to use these tools see Diagnose problems (using diagnosis tools).