Troubleshooting is the process of finding and eliminating
the cause of a problem. When you have a problem with your IBM® software, the troubleshooting
process begins as soon as you ask yourself what happened?
Recording the symptoms of the problem
Depending
on the problem, whether it is with your application, your server,
or your tools, you might receive a message that indicates that something
is wrong. Always record the error message that you see. As simple
as this advice sounds, error messages often contain codes that make
more sense as you investigate your problem further. You might also
receive multiple error messages that look similar, but have subtle
differences. By recording the details of each message, you can learn
more about the problem.
Sources of error messages:
- Problems view in the workbench
- Console in the workbench
- Log files in your workspace
- Error dialog boxes
Re-creating the problem
Think
back to what steps led you to this problem. Try those steps again
to see whether you can easily re-create this problem. If you have
a consistently repeatable test case, you can more quickly determine
what solutions are necessary.
Consider the following questions:
- How did you notice the problem?
- Was anything done differently 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 process worked before, what changed?
- The change can refer to any type of change that is made to the
system. Changes might range from adding new hardware or software to
configuration changes you might make to existing software.
- When you noticed the first symptom of this problem, were there
other symptoms that occurred around that time?
- Does the same problem occur elsewhere? Does the problem occur
on one computer or is it occurring on multiple computers?
- What messages are generated that can indicate what the problem
is? What else do you see that indicates there is a problem?
- How often does the problem occur?
Eliminating possible causes
Narrow
the scope of your problem by eliminating components that are not causing
the problem. By using a process of elimination, you can simplify your
problem and avoid wasting time in other areas. Consult the release
information that comes with the product and other available resources
to help you with your elimination process.
Start with these
questions:
- Has anyone else experienced this problem?
- Is there a fix that you can apply?
- Have any fixes been applied or any changes made to the system
that can be causing the problem? Does rolling back the fix or the
changes solve the problem?