Overview: Troubleshooting
Use the links provided in this topic to learn about troubleshooting and problem determination capabilities.
- What is new for troubleshooters
This topic provides an overview of new and changed features in troubleshooting tools and support.
- Diagnosing problems (using diagnosis tools)
This topic provides a place to start the search for troubleshooting information.
Troubleshooting overview
Troubleshooting is the process of finding and eliminating the cause of a problem. Whenever we have a problem with the IBM software, the troubleshooting process begins as soon as you ask yourself, "what happened?" 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, you 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 your problem and avoid wasting time in areas that are not culprits. Consult the information in this product and other available resources to help with the elimination process.
See the information on troubleshooting and support to learn more about problem determination tools provided by the product. To investigate if anyone else has experienced this problem or if there is a fix that we can download, search IBM Support portal for answers.
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 the information about using diagnosis tools to diagnose problems. .
Related concepts
Troubleshooting and support
Related tasks
Diagnosing problems (using diagnosis tools)