Module 2: Introduction to

Troubleshooting

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Importance
You can quickly identify, diagnose, and solve a problem if you use an efficient troubleshooting
method in a consistent and repeatable manner.

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Learner Objectives
After completing this module, you should be able to meet the following objectives:
• Define the scope of troubleshooting
• Use a structured approach to solve configuration and operational problems
• Apply the troubleshooting methodology to diagnose faults and make the troubleshooting
process efficient

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About the Troubleshooting Process
Troubleshooting is a systematic approach to identifying the root cause of a problem and
defining steps to resolve the problem.
A typical troubleshooting process involves the following steps:
• Defining the problem
• Identifying the cause of the problem
• Resolving the problem.

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Defining System Problems
A system problem is a fault in a system, or in one of its components, that negatively affects
the previously working production services.
System problems arise from various sources:
• Configuration issues
• Resource contention
• Network attacks
• Software bugs
• Hardware failures
You should not assume that you understand the problem after you identify one symptom:
• The first symptom reported might not indicate the true source of the problem.
• Verify that nothing else is broken by performing a thorough analysis.

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Identifying the Effects of System Problems
System problems can affect certain aspects of a system:
• Usability
• Accuracy
• Reliability
• Performance
Perceived effects or symptoms are exposed and reported.
Symptoms of a system problem often appear to be the problem itself.
You must look at all the symptoms of a system problem to determine the root cause.

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Collecting Symptoms of a Problem
Collecting symptoms is the first step in troubleshooting a problem.

Symptom Possible Cause Root Cause

One or more LUNs on a The LUNs that are not visible A configuration error in the
storage array are not visible are not presented correctly to storage array is caused by a
to a specific ESXi host. the ESXi host. recent configuration change.
A pathing failure occurs The network fails between
between the ESXi host and the ESXi host and the storage
the storage array. array. No redundant path is
available.
You cannot connect to The vCenter Server service The vCenter Server Appliance
vCenter Server with the fails to start. has a corrupt database.
vSphere Client. The network path between The network router that
you and the vCenter Server provides the route between
Appliance is down. your desktop and the vCenter
Server system fails.

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Gathering Supplemental Information
You ask questions to gather additional information to define the problem:
• Can the problem be reproduced?
– Provide a repeatable means to recreate the problem and a way to verify that the problem
is resolved.
• What is the scope?
– Determine whether the problem affects one or multiple objects.
• Was the system working before?
– If so, investigate what changed in the environment or configuration.
• Is the problem a known problem?
– Consult references, such as release notes, to determine if the problem is documented.

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Viewing and Interpreting Diagnostic Information
You view and interpret the diagnostic messages in the GUI or in the log files to find the root
cause.

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Identifying Possible Causes and Taking Appropriate Action
By taking a structured approach to troubleshooting, you can determine the root cause quickly
and effectively.

You can take one of the following

troubleshooting approaches, depending on the
problem's characteristics:
• Investigate the cause from the top down.
• Investigate the cause from the bottom up.
• Approach the cause by halves.

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Determining the Root Cause
To determine the root cause, you test your environment and eliminate possible causes.
Example problem: The virtual machine stops responding.

Possible Cause Component ↓

The problem is triggered by an operation (snapshot or Application or guest OS

vSphere vMotion migration) performed on the VM.

Limit and share values are misconfigured on the VM. VM

Not enough host resources (CPU, memory) are available. ESXi host

Physical resources are inaccessible. Hardware

(CPU, memory, network,
storage)

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Resolving the Problem
After identifying the root cause, you assess the impact of the problem on operations:
• High impact: Resolve immediately.
• Medium impact: Resolve when possible.
• Low impact: Resolve during the next maintenance window.

You identify possible solutions and their impact on the vSphere environment:
• Short-term solution: Workaround.
• Long-term solution: Reconfiguration.
• Impact analysis: Assess the impact of the solution on operations.

You resolve the problem by implementing the most effective solution.

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Scenario: Defining the Problem
You attempt to migrate virtual machine VM01 from host ESXi01 to host ESXi02.
After waiting a couple of minutes, the vSphere vMotion migration fails with an error message.
You consider whether this failure is a vSphere vMotion problem or a symptom of an underlying
problem.
The error message provides additional information.

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Scenario: Gathering Information
You check the error messages to help define the problem.

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Scenario: Identifying Possible Causes
You use the information that you gathered to identify possible causes:
• Based on error messages, the vSphere vMotion migration failed because ESXi01 and ESXi02
failed to connect over the vMotion network.
• This error indicates a possible misconfiguration on the ESXi host.
• You check the connectivity of the vSphere vMotion VMkernel interface.
Possible Cause Component
Application or Guest OS
vSphere vMotion is misconfigured. Virtual Machine
Network connectivity is down on the ESXi ESXi Host
host.
vSphere vMotion VMkernel interface Hardware (CPU, Memory, Network, Storage)
connectivity is down on one of the ESXi hosts.

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Scenario: Determining the Root Cause
When possible, you test causes using a repeatable flow to determine the root cause.

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Scenario: Resolving the Problem
In this scenario, you assume that the root cause is an incorrect IP address of a VMkernel
interface for vSphere vMotion on the ESXi02 host.
You assess the impact of the problem on operations and determine that the problem has a
probable high impact because it affects the following operations:
• The migration of any VM to the ESXi02 host
• The proper operation of vSphere DRS
You identify possible solutions to resolve the problem:
• Short-term solution: Do not migrate VMs to the ESXi02 host.
• Long-term solution: Fix the IP address of the vSphere vMotion VMkernel interface on the
ESXi02 host.
Implementing the solution should not require downtime.

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Review of Learner Objectives
After completing this module, you should be able to meet the following objectives:
• Define the scope of troubleshooting
• Use a structured approach to solve configuration and operational problems
• Apply the troubleshooting methodology to diagnose faults and make the troubleshooting
process efficient

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Key Points
• By using a structured approach to troubleshooting, you can resolve problems quickly and
effectively.
• Differentiating between the symptoms and the problem is an important step in the
troubleshooting process.
• Prerequisite knowledge of how the VMware virtual infrastructure works and your knowledge
of your system’s configuration are useful in the troubleshooting process.
Questions?

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