User`s guide

1
Troubleshooting Strategy
This chapter describes the troubleshooting strategy for AlphaServer 1000
systems.
• Section 1.1 provides questions to consider before you begin troubleshooting an
AlphaServer 1000 system.
• Tables 1–1 through 1–5 provide a diagnostic flow for each category of system
problem.
• Section 1.2 lists the product tools and utilities.
• Section 1.3 lists available information services.
1.1 Troubleshooting the System
Before troubleshooting any system problem, check the site maintenance log for
the system’s service history. Be sure to ask the system manager the following
questions:
• Has the system been used before and did it work correctly?
• Have changes to hardware or updates to firmware or software been made to
the system recently?
• What is the state of the system—is the operating system running?
If the operating system is down and you are not able to bring it up, use
the console environment diagnostic tools, such as the power-up display and
ROM-based diagnostics (RBDs).
If the operating system is running, use the operating system environment
diagnostic tools, such as error logs, crash dumps, and exercisers (DEC VET).
Troubleshooting Strategy 1–1