6.5.1

The first step in the troubleshooting process is to gather information that defines the specific symptoms of
what is happening. You might ask these questions when gathering this information:
n
What is the task or expected behavior that is not occurring?
n
Can the affected task be divided into subtasks that you can evaluate separately?
n
Is the task ending in an error? Is an error message associated with it?
n
Is the task completing but in an unacceptably long time?
n
Is the failure consistent or sporadic?
n
What has changed recently in the software or hardware that might be related to the failure?
Defining the Problem Space
After you identify the symptoms of the problem, determine which components in your setup are affected,
which components might be causing the problem, and which components are not involved.
To define the problem space in an implementation of vSphere, be aware of the components present. In
addition to VMware software, consider third-party software in use and which hardware is being used with
the VMware virtual hardware.
Recognizing the characteristics of the software and hardware elements and how they can impact the
problem, you can explore general problems that might be causing the symptoms.
n
Misconfiguration of software settings
n
Failure of physical hardware
n
Incompatibility of components
Break down the process and consider each piece and the likelihood of its involvement separately. For
example, a case that is related to a virtual disk on local storage is probably unrelated to third-party router
configuration. However, a local disk controller setting might be contributing to the problem. If a component
is unrelated to the specific symptoms, you can probably eliminate it as a candidate for solution testing.
Think about what changed in the configuration recently before the problems started. Look for what is
common in the problem. If several problems started at the same time, you can probably trace all the
problems to the same cause.
Testing Possible Solutions
After you know the problem's symptoms and which software or hardware components are most likely
involved, you can systematically test solutions until you resolve the problem.
With the information that you have gained about the symptoms and affected components, you can design
tests for pinpointing and resolving the problem. These tips might make this process more effective.
n
Generate ideas for as many potential solutions as you can.
n
Verify that each solution determines unequivocally whether the problem is fixed. Test each potential
solution but move on promptly if the fix does not resolve the problem.
vSphere Troubleshooting
VMware, Inc. 8