Basics Of Troubleshooting

Basics of Troubleshooting – 5 steps to fix it!.

When you finish reading this post “Basics of Troubleshooting” you will be able to identify and fix the defective device. As service engineers we often find ourselves dealing with simple tasks that at times might seem difficult to solve, but for some odd reason we can’t realize it until we have spent countless hours working in the same tasks, and feeling that we are going around in circles without getting anywhere.

Some time ago I was out at a customer’s site where they were having issues with dropped calls and jitter. After contacting the AT&T, escalating the ticket to tier 3, and performing countless tests, checking the trunking configuration, among many other parameters, we came to the conclusion that the problem was related to bad cable.

Here I provide you with 5 easy steps to help you troubleshoot any kind of issues=

• 1.- The 10 minute rule
• 2.- Start at the workstation and work your way out to the IT-Room
• 3.- Update your site contact with your findings
• 4.- Check the connections from the IDF to Server / PBX
• 5.- Assess your Switch Ports / PBX Station Ports

1.- The 10 minute rule

This time is dedicated to the person who has the problem, let him/her explain and express their frustration, and don’t be judgmental. I know that at times it really makes you wonder. Just let them talk, and I promise you this technique always works for me. I get what really it’s happening and helps me develop a more effective plan, and making my job easier; at the end you will end-up with a happier customer at the end.

2.- Start at the workstation and work your way out to the IT-Room

First swap the defective device with a working one, if the phone works fine, then the problem is related to the phone, continue by swapping the handset, and cords until you find the bad part. If the the new phone doesn’t work then, move to the troubleshoot the part which is checking the line cord, jacks and IDF closet.

When troubleshooting layer 1, it is a good practice to check if there is a short in the cable, if you don’t happen to have a CAT5 tester you can use your  Tone Generator connected to the workstation’s jack, and short pairs 4 and 5 (568A/B= Blue Pairs) using a pair of pliers or something metal if using 66-blocks, for 110 hardware you want to connect a pair of wire and complete the shortage that way, and for patch-panels you can cut a CAT5 cable and do the same.

Once you have completed the short from the workstation’s jack to the IDF or MDF, there shouldn’t be any wave sounds coming from the Probe. If this is the case the cable is working 100%. if not there is a short somewhere between the jack and IDF or MDF.

3.- Update your site contact with your findings

By now you should have be a very good understanding of what it’s really wrong with the defective device; if you still haven’t find anything wrong, provide your site contact an update of your findings, it really doesn’t matter if you are successful or not, what counts is to show him/her that you care and are working hard to get the problem solved; most customers like to be updated and engaged, especially if they are paying you to provide the service

4.- Check your connections from the IDF to Server / PBX / Switch

After confirming that the cabling is working like it should from the workstation to the MDF or telephone equipment, replacing the patch cord should be your next step. For legacy equipment, you might want to replace the cross-connects. If this customer has multiple buildings in a plant, then you might consider checking the fuse-box(es) and test the fuses themselves, I have found here in FL where rains and thunders like crazy that it is very common for blown fuses.

5.- Assess your Switch Ports / PBX Station Ports

Once you have found the port associated with the bad phone, bring the phone straight over to the system and see if the problem persists. if it does try a different port. If the system is full and there isn’t another port to plug in, then your last resource is to troubleshoot the bad port by busing-out, reset, and releasing the port. For those system where you can’t perform these type of operations, you might need to reboot the entire system. If none of these are successful, then you need to replace the physical hardware (circuit-pack, media-module, or Digital board), for IP or SIP the PoE switch needs to be replaced.

Question – What is the first step you take when beginning to troubleshoot?