Troubleshooting Guide

Logical connections
Avaya Virtual Services Platform 4000 Series supports virtual LANs (VLAN). With VLANs, you must
know how the devices connect logically as well as physically.
Device configuration information
Maintain online and paper copies of the device configuration information. Store all online data with
the regular data backup for the site. If the site does not use a backup system, copy the information
onto an external storage device, and store the backup at an offsite location.
You can use the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Trivial FTP (TFTP) to store configuration files on a
remote server.
Other important data about the network
For a complete picture of the network, have the following information available:
• all passwords
Store passwords in a safe place. A good practice is to keep records of previous passwords in
case you must restore a device to a previous software version and need to use the old
password that was valid for that version.
• device inventory
Maintain a device inventory, which lists all devices and relevant information for the network.
The inventory allows you to easily see the device type, IP address, ports, MAC addresses, and
attached devices.
• MAC address-to-port number list
If you do not manage the hubs or switches, you must keep a list of the MAC addresses that
correlate to the ports on the hubs and switches.
• change control
Maintain a change control system for all critical systems. Permanently store change control
records.
• contact details
Store the details of all support contracts, support numbers, engineer details, and telephone and
fax numbers.
Normal behavior on the network
If you are familiar with the network when it is fully operational, you can be more effective at
troubleshooting problems that arise. To understand the normal behavior of the network, monitor the
network over a long period of time. During this time you can see a pattern in the traffic flow, such as
which devices users access most or when peak usage times occur.
To identify problems, you can use a baseline analysis, which is an important indicator of overall
network health. A baseline serves as a useful reference of network traffic during normal operation,
which you can then compare to captured network traffic while you troubleshoot network problems. A
baseline analysis speeds the process of isolating network problems. By running tests on a healthy
Normal behavior on the network
January 2017 Troubleshooting 23
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