Troubleshooting - Lesson 82

Network Hardware
Objectives:
When you have completed this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Identify common problems associated with network hardware.

Discussion:
When a computer network stops functioning, it is the job of the
computer repair technician to be able to identify if a network
problem lies within the computer system or within the hardware and
software of the network system. With all network systems that
become a “notwork” system, the first step in the actual repair of the
problem is to divide the problem into whether a component or
software inside the client computer is causing the trouble. This is
often done by disconnecting the computer from the network and
seeing if the remainder of the network system functions normally.
When possible, a technician may also connect another computer to
the network connection that appears not to be functional, using this
method, if the new computer is able to connect to the network, the
problem lies within the computer.
It is beyond the scope of this course to teach network
administration, planning, design or deployment, it is only intended
to help the computer repair technician to become familiar with the
basic methods of troubleshooting.
Troubleshooting is a task that all LAN administrators must perform
at one time or another. Depending on their skill level and
experience, administrators may be able to troubleshoot the network
on a small or large scale. In either case, experience is a great
teacher when it comes to troubleshooting a network.
Many computer repair technicians spend a great deal of time
troubleshooting network problems. One user calls to report that he
or she can't print, another calls complaining that he or she can't log
into the network. Yet another user calls, irate, because the
workstation is frequently hanging; the LAN administrator must
diagnose these problems. Once the root of the problem is found,
solving the problem is fairly easy. Many times, all that is needed is
to replace faulty hardware or software.

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The computer repair technician can solve the problem in one of two
ways by using a structured, rigorous methodology, or by
shotgunning, the latter method involves educated guesses and
arbitrarily replacing components to see if the problem disappears,
while using a structured methodology, requires definitively knowing
what the problem is before fixing it. Most experienced technicians
use both approaches in a staged fashion. For a new technician, a
structured approach is recommended, until experience provides the
knowledge base needed to make educated guesses.
It is important to fully understand the problem being diagnosed.
Missing vital information at the beginning of a check can lead to an
incorrect diagnosis and an inappropriate fix. An understanding of
the problem will also help determine whether a more thorough
check is needed.
The goal of this stage is to identify and eliminate potential causes of
the problem. The best way to do this is to talk to the users. Solicit
their input and complaints. Ask them to re-create the problem if
possible, so you can witness it firsthand. Find out if the problem is
widespread, with several people affected or if only one person is
experiencing the problem. Check to see if the problem is preventing
users from working or whether it's simply a performance problem,
causing delays or interruptions.
Always be aware of the kinds of work the users do and the
applications they use. For example, if a user is having trouble
printing a document, the problem could be that he or she isn't
executing the print command properly. Familiarity with users' work
and applications allows some problems to be fixed quickly.
Sometimes performing one or two simple tests is required to
ascertain the severity or scope of the problem. You may get the
system back up and running more quickly by simply replacing or
swapping a component or two. If this doesn't work, some
information has still been obtained without wasting much time.
Phase one is when experience and documentation are crucial. Is
anything about the problem similar to a previous problem? For
example, assume several adapter cards have gone bad in the past.
They started creating errors shortly before they failed completely,
as documentation should show. Now a user is having trouble
attaching to the network. After asking some questions and finding
out that he or she is getting error messages similar to those
associated with the cards that failed in the past it becomes
apparent that the problem is solved, remedied, and documented.
Most problems encountered on the network have probably
happened before, making it possible to identify the problem just by
going over the network's history in your mind. If you're new to the

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network, you can use the documentation to see if the current

problem is similar to an old one.
Many network failures occur after something has been changed or
modified. Changes in topology, configuration, applications, and
users can cause a network to fail. If thinking through past-
experience with the network or its documentation doesn't shed any
light on the problem, begin thinking about the present. Has anything
changed on the network? Were new components added? Did any
of the users change? Were any connective devices reconfigured?
When it is suspected that the problem may be caused by recent
network changes, verify the correct operation of any suspect
components and their connection to the network. Incorrect
configurations or connections are often inadvertent.
Some problems occur when people, other than the LAN
administrator, make changes to the network. When asking users
about the problem at hand, be sure to ask them if they recently
made any changes. Also ask what they were doing just prior to the
problem, because changes may have been made inadvertently.
If past-experience and network documentation don't isolate the
problem and there haven't been any recent changes, it is time to
proceed to further diagnostics.

Advanced Diagnostics
The network is divided into workable segments so you don't have
the entire network to contend with. Each segment can then be
examined and either ruled out or found to be the cause of the
problem.
Because more information must be gathered during this stage,
specialized equipment, such as a protocol analyzer, may be
needed.
Most network problems are directly related to the network
components. The following is a list of some of the components that
may need to be examined more closely.

Workstation
Network adapter
The network interface card is responsible for all communication
between the clients and the server. Regardless of the type of
network you are running, or the cabling installed at the location, the
NIC or network interface card must be installed correctly, and must
be communicating with the operating system. Common NIC
problems are usually traced directly to initial installation, or new

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hardware or software being installed in the client computer. As with

all devices, the NIC utilizes resources, a system that has limited
resources available will often be the machine that has interrupt
conflicts or other resource problems.

Testing the NIC Card

Most NIC cards will have some type of diagnostic program that will
allow the technician to view the resources used by the card, and to
verify the proper operation of the card. In some cases, if the same
card is utilized on all the installed computers, it is possible to use
the diagnostic software to set up a transmit-receive system that will
verify that the cards are communicating at the interface level.
Using the self test mode of a NIC card in the transmit-receive mode
will allow the user to verify that the cards are installed correctly and
that the cables between the two computers are working. The
disadvantage of this type of troubleshooting is that the cards MUST
be identical. The diagnostic software from one manufacturer, will
usually not function with software or hardware from other
manufacturers.

Wiring Concentrator
This device is sometimes called the HUB and is normally found
when the installed network operates either, in a token ring
configuration or utilizes standard telephone type wiring called
twisted pair. The common types of twisted pair wiring are 10BaseT
and 100BaseT, the differences between the two are the speed at
which the information is transferred, 10 Mbps and 100Mbps,
respectively. The concentrator or HUB must match the speed of the
installed network, and the protocol of the installed network. In
addition, the HUB should be powered from an uninterruptable
power source to prevent downtime related to power line
disturbances. Normally, once a hub is installed, they function with
little or no intervention by the technician or operator, and for the
most part, do not require any routine maintenance or repairs. Hub
related problems are normally easy to diagnose, because when a
hub fails, multiple stations on the network will go off line, and their
link lights and activity lights will go out. Single port failures on a
hub are unlikely, but can happen. If this problem occurs, only a
single station will be affected by the defective hub.

Cabling
The cabling of a network is the most important, and often the most
overlooked part of the network. Usually, once a network has been
installed, little if any thought is ever given to the cables as a
potential source of trouble. However, there is always the possibility
that a cable can be cut by someone working in the building,

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someone tripping over the cables in back of their computer, or

simply disconnecting a single cable from a major connection point
within the network. Most network systems today, utilize the twisted
pair topology, and as such, diagnosis of a cable problem is easy,
simply attach a cable tester to a suspected cable and observe the
information presented.

Server
As with all computer systems, determining if the computer is
functional as a computer is the first priority. One should never
assume that the trouble being experienced is automatically a
problem that involves the network. To determine if the server is
functional as a computer system, it may become necessary to
disconnect the server from the network. It should be obvious, that
before you go disconnecting anything, be sure that you have the
permission necessary to do this, remember, other users may be
sharing files or information on the network, and disconnecting
something may cause permanent damage to data or stored files.

Common Fileserver Problems

When determining a fileserver problem, the first step should be
obvious to the repair technician, that is, first check the operation of
the fileserver as a computer. Is the fileserver operating correct, that
is, does it boot? Is it running? Does the screen look normal for the
type of network operating system you are running? Can you run a
program on the server, and have it execute correctly? If you have
answered no to any of these questions, stop trying to fix the
network, as there is most likely nothing wrong with it. Fix the
fileserver first.

Host
This is a specialized computer, that can be thought of as a
fileserver, with a very special job. The host is used to connect a
group of computers to a wide area network, either through
dedicated phone lines or other long-range distribution technology.
When a host is not working, as with a file server, normal computer
repair strategy should first be employed.

Bridges
This is also a specialized computer that has a dedicated job of
connecting two networks together, forming a wide area network or
large corporate intranet. The sole job of the bridge is to read the
incoming network traffic, determine the type of data contained in
the network traffic, decide where the traffic is to go, and connect
that traffic to the network segment that contains the address of the
desired data, complete with the proper protocol for the new network

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segment. The bridge can present many new and exciting problems
for the technician, most of which are related directly to information
not being processed to the correct or desired network segment.
Bridge problems that are NOT related to a computer failure or
malfunction should not be handled by the computer repair
technician but left to the network systems engineers.

Routers
A router is similar to a bridge in as much as the sole job is to
process incoming and outgoing information and direct that
information to the correct network segment. The major difference is
that a Router does NOT change the protocol of the information
being carried in the network packet. This information is decoded,
and transferred to the corresponding address of the destination
data. Routers can be as simple as stand alone devices that are
programmed using a laptop computer and serial data cable, or may
in fact be a computer all to itself.

Gateways
This computer connects networks that use different protocols. The
sole job of the gateway is to translate the incoming network traffic
to the protocol needed by the receiving network. If data is not being
received or understood by other computers on the system using
different protocols, the most likely reason is that the gateway has
stopped functioning. A common example of a gateway would be to
connect an Ethernet network to a Token Ring Network.

Protocol Stacks
The protocol stack is responsible for the communication between
the physical network and the network operating system, the
applications requesting information and the overall communication
between them. The repair technician does not have to be
concerned with the operation or communication of the Protocol
stack, only that the appropriate stack is loaded in the client and
server computer.

Troubleshooting the Workstation

With all network systems, regardless of the network operating
system that is in use, the system can be divided into three
components; the file server or servers, the workstations or clients
and the interconnections between them. Once the network
component that is causing the problem has been identified,
repairing the problem then becomes determining if the trouble is
hardware of software related.

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The Fileserver
As with all computer systems, determining if the computer is
functional as a computer is the first priority. One should never
assume that the trouble being experienced is automatically a
problem that involves the network. To determine if the computer is
functional as a computer system, it may become necessary to
disconnect the computer from the network. It should be obvious,
that before you go disconnecting anything, be sure that you have
the permission necessary to do this, remember, other users may be
sharing files or information on the network, and disconnecting
something may cause permanent damage to data or stored files.

Network Operating System Software (NOS)

The NOS is often NOT the cause of a network problem. The
majority of the field related failures to a network system are
normally caused by either user error, or by configuration errors.
Simply put, once a network is operational, the NOS is usually not to
blame when something does not function.

Assignment:
1. Once a computer network stops functioning, it is the job of the
computer repair technician to be able to identify if a network
problem lies within the computer system or within the hardware and
software of the network system.
a. True
b. False

2. The term troubleshooting is a task in which all LAN administrators

must perform at one time or another.
a. True
b. False

3 Which of the following are considered methods for which the

technician can use toward repairing networks?
a. A structured rigorous method or by shotgunning.
b. Use educated guesses and arbitrarily replacing components to
see if the problem disappears.
c. Both a and b.
d. None of the above.

4. The network interface card is not responsible for all

communications between the clients and the fileserver.
a. True
b. False

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5. The cabling of a network is the most important and most

overlooked part of the network.
a. True
b. False

6. Which of the following are common remedies for related fileserver

problems?
a. Does the fileserver boot up in the operating system that it
should boot up in?
b. Does the network operating system screen look normal?
c. Can you execute (run) a program on the fileserver correctly?
d. All of the above.

7. The term Bridge is a specialized computer that has a dedicated job

of connecting two networks together forming a wide area network.
a. True
b. False

8. Which of the following terms has the meaning of a computer that

connects networks that use different protocols?
a. Bridge
b. Host
c. Gateways
d. None of the above

9. The term protocol stacks is responsible for the communication

between the physical network and the network operating system.
a. True
b. False

10. The majority of field related failures to a network system are

normally caused by either user error or by configuration errors and
not by the network operating system software.
a. True
b. False

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