Troubleshooting Terminal, Printer and Serial Device Connections - Edition 4 (32022-90030)

Chapter 1 21
General Information
Troubleshooting Responsibilities
Troubleshooting Responsibilities
Many problems encountered with terminals and serial printers can be
solved by the end user. Even more can be solved by a system manager.
If the system manager cannot solve a problem, they should contact an
HP support representative.
Each of the above groups has a specific role to play in the
troubleshooting process. Each person needs to fulfill this role for
troubleshooting to be completed quickly.
Basic Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting usually begins with recognizing that the device is not
working. The device might be “hung” (port not responding),
transmission might be “garbled”, or the device might not work at all
(screen or printer is “dead”). Record the following information to make
troubleshooting easier:
• The ldev number of the device.
• The time that the problem began.
• The environment of the device when the problem occurred,
including:
• What application was running on the device.
• Whether the device was in character or block mode (for terminals
only).
• What specific task was being attempted when the problem began.
• Symptoms of the problem and when each originated.
• Steps already taken to correct the problem.
• Whether the problem has occurred before.
More Troubleshooting
A system manager has many troubleshooting responsibilities. They
need to know how to collect information, analyze information, and
(maybe most importantly) know when it is time to call an HP support
representative. When an HP support representative is contacted, the
system manager should have collected as much information as possible
so that the HP representative has enough information to solve the
problem or consult with other HP personnel.
A system manager should:
• Collect as much information as possible from the user.