IT 220-1202

The troubleshooting process starts by __________. Identifying the problem means establishing the consequence or impact of the issue and listing symptoms. The consequence can be used to prioritize each support case within the overall process of problem management.

identifying the problem.

The first report of a problem will typically come from a user or another technician, and this person will be one of the best sources of information if you can ask the right questions. Before you begin examining settings in Windows or taking the PC apart, spend some time gathering information from the user about the problem. Ensure you ask the user to describe all the circumstances and symptoms. Some good questions to ask include: 1

What are the exact error messages appearing on the screen or coming from the speaker?

The first report of a problem will typically come from a user or another technician, and this person will be one of the best sources of information if you can ask the right questions. Before you begin examining settings in Windows or taking the PC apart, spend some time gathering information from the user about the problem. Ensure you ask the user to describe all the circumstances and symptoms. Some good questions to ask include: 2

Is anyone else experiencing the same problem?

The first report of a problem will typically come from a user or another technician, and this person will be one of the best sources of information if you can ask the right questions. Before you begin examining settings in Windows or taking the PC apart, spend some time gathering information from the user about the problem. Ensure you ask the user to describe all the circumstances and symptoms. Some good questions to ask include: 3

How long has the problem been occurring?

The first report of a problem will typically come from a user or another technician, and this person will be one of the best sources of information if you can ask the right questions. Before you begin examining settings in Windows or taking the PC apart, spend some time gathering information from the user about the problem. Ensure you ask the user to describe all the circumstances and symptoms. Some good questions to ask include: 4

What changes have been made recently to the system? Were these changes initiated by you or via another support request?

The first report of a problem will typically come from a user or another technician, and this person will be one of the best sources of information if you can ask the right questions. Before you begin examining settings in Windows or taking the PC apart, spend some time gathering information from the user about the problem. Ensure you ask the user to describe all the circumstances and symptoms. Some good questions to ask include: 5

If something worked previously, then experiences mechanical failures, are there any changes made by the user or from environmental or infrastructure change?

The first report of a problem will typically come from a user or another technician, and this person will be one of the best sources of information if you can ask the right questions. Before you begin examining settings in Windows or taking the PC apart, spend some time gathering information from the user about the problem. Ensure you ask the user to describe all the circumstances and symptoms. Some good questions to ask include: 6

Have you tried anything to solve the problem?

If your theory is not proven by the tests you make or the research you undertake, you must _________

establish a new theory.

There are typically three generic approaches to resolving an IT problem: Repair

You need to determine whether the cost of repair makes this the best option.

There are typically three generic approaches to resolving an IT problem: Replace

This is often more expensive and may be time-consuming if a part is not available. There may also be an opportunity to upgrade the part or software.

There are typically three generic approaches to resolving an IT problem: Workaround

Not all problems are critical. If neither repair nor replacement is cost-effective, it may be best to either find a workaround or just document the issue and move on.

When you determine the best solution, you must devise a_________ to put the solution in place. You have to assess the resources, time, and cost required.

plan of action

When you make a change to the system as part of ___________, test after each change.

implementing a solution

If you are completing troubleshooting steps ________ from another technician—the vendor's support service, for instance—make sure you properly understand the steps you are being asked to take, especially if it requires disassembly of a component or reconfiguration of software that you are not familiar with.

under instruction

When you apply a solution, test that it fixes the reported problem and that the system as a whole continues to function normally. Tests could involve any of the following: 1

Trying to use a component or performing the activity that prompted the problem report

When you apply a solution, test that it fixes the reported problem and that the system as a whole continues to function normally. Tests could involve any of the following: 2

Inspecting a component to see whether it is properly connected or damaged or whether any status or indicator lights show a problem

When you apply a solution, test that it fixes the reported problem and that the system as a whole continues to function normally. Tests could involve any of the following: 3

Disabling or uninstalling the component (if it might be the cause of a wider problem)

When you apply a solution, test that it fixes the reported problem and that the system as a whole continues to function normally. Tests could involve any of the following: 4

Consulting logs and software tools to confirm a component is configured properly

When you apply a solution, test that it fixes the reported problem and that the system as a whole continues to function normally. Tests could involve any of the following: 5

Updating software or a device driver

To fully solve a problem, you should implement _____________. This means eliminating any factors that could cause the problem to reoccur.

preventive measures

The steps in this troubleshooting methodology model are as follows:1

Identify the problem:

1. Gather information from the user, identify user changes, and, if applicable, perform backups before making changes.

   1. Begin documentation of the problem. Update as necessary throughout the full process.

   2. Inquire regarding environmental or infrastructure changes.

The steps in this troubleshooting methodology model are as follows:2

Establish a theory of probable cause (question the obvious):

1. If necessary, conduct external or internal research based on symptoms.

The steps in this troubleshooting methodology model are as follows:3

Test the theory to determine the cause:

1. Once the theory is confirmed, determine the next steps to resolve the problem.

2. If the theory is not confirmed, reestablish a new theory or escalate.

The steps in this troubleshooting methodology model are as follows:4

Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution:

1. Refer to the vendor’s instructions for guidance.

The steps in this troubleshooting methodology model are as follows:5

Verify full-system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventive measures.

The steps in this troubleshooting methodology model are as follows:6

Document the findings, lessons learned, actions, and outcomes.

Most troubleshooting takes place within the context of a ticket system. This shows who is responsible for any particular problem and what its status is. This gives you the opportunity to add a complete description of the problem and its solution (____________________).

findings, lessons learned, actions, and outcomes

Employees must understand how to use computers and networked services securely and safely and be aware of their responsibilities. To support this, the organization needs to create written policies and procedures to help staff understand and fulfill their tasks and follow best practices: 1

A policy is an overall statement of intent.

Employees must understand how to use computers and networked services securely and safely and be aware of their responsibilities. To support this, the organization needs to create written policies and procedures to help staff understand and fulfill their tasks and follow best practices: 2

A standard operating procedure

(SOP) is a step-by-step list of the actions that must be completed for any given task to comply with policy. Most IT procedures should be governed by SOPs.

Employees must understand how to use computers and networked services securely and safely and be aware of their responsibilities. To support this, the organization needs to create written policies and procedures to help staff understand and fulfill their tasks and follow best practices: 3

Guidelines are for areas of policy where there are no procedures, either because the situation has not been fully assessed or because the decision-making process is too complex and subject to variables to be able to capture it in an SOP. Guidelines may also describe circumstances where it is appropriate to deviate from a specified procedure.

Typical examples of SOPs are as follows: 1

Procedures for custom installation of software packages, such as verifying system requirements, validating download/installation source, confirming license validity, adding the software to change control/monitoring processes, and developing support/training documentation

Typical examples of SOPs are as follows: 2

New-user setup checklist as part of the onboarding process for new employees and employees changing job roles. Typical tasks include identification/enrollment with secure credentials, allocation of devices, and allocation of permissions/assignment to security groups

Typical examples of SOPs are as follows: 3

End-user termination checklist as part of the offboarding process for employees who are retiring, changing job roles, or have been fired. Typical tasks include returning and sanitizing devices, releasing software licenses, and disabling account permissions/access

Service level agreements (SLAs) define the level of service requirements from an internal department or external, third-party vendor. Examples of services that most likely have an SLA in place include: 1

Internal departments of the company that are providing resources to one another such as access to hardware resources; a company's maintenance department may also have a SLA that details how they are to provide support to the other departments within the company when it comes to building maintenance, etc.

Service level agreements (SLAs) define the level of service requirements from an internal department or external, third-party vendor. Examples of services that most likely have an SLA in place include: 2

External agreements will normally be provided by the ISP as to the metrics of throughput they will provide a company for the internet connection; a cloud service provider will also have a SLA in place that details the service delivery metrics of the organizations cloud resources.

SLAs normally include a description of the service being provided, along with the metrics that are used to measure the level of service being provided. In some cases, the SLA may dictate the expected up time, when the service is available, and what is not considered down time (_________) for the service. The Rule of Nines is a very popular metric used for this purpose.

service not available

Rule of 4 Nines means the service or system will be available 99.99% of the time. This allows for a maximum of _______ of downtime per year. Whereas a service with the Rule of 11 Nines means the service will be up 99.999999999% of the time, would only be allowed 315.58 microseconds of downtime.

52 minutes

The Rule of Nines can also be used to calculate the durability of file and data storage services. The Rule of 11 Nines for durability means that even with 1 billion objects in storage, you would be able to go _____ without losing a single object.

100 years

Should the delivery metrics not be met by the provider, the SLA will detail the recourse process to make a complaint against the service provider. It may also detail the amount of money the customer may be able to recover since the service is not meeting the requirements of the____.

SLA

A ________ manages requests, incidents, and problems. Ticketing systems can be used to support both internal end-users and external customers.

ticketing system

The general process of ticket management is as follows: 1

A user contacts the help desk, perhaps by phone or email, or directly via the ticketing system.

A unique job ticket ID is generated, and an agent is assigned to the ticket. The ticket will also need to capture some basic details:

• User information: The user’s name, contact details, and other relevant information, such as department or job role. It might be possible to link the ticket to an employee database or customer relationship management (CRM) database.

• Device information: If relevant, the ticket should record information about the user’s device. It might be possible to link to the relevant inventory record via a service tag or asset ID.

The general process of ticket management is as follows: 2

The user supplies a description of the issue. The agent might ask clarifying questions to ensure an accurate initial description.

The general process of ticket management is as follows: 3

The agent categorizes the support case, assesses how urgent or severe it is, and determines how long it will take to fix.

The general process of ticket management is as follows: 4

The agent may take the user through initial troubleshooting steps. If these do not work, the ticket may be escalated to deskside support or a senior technician

Categories and subcategories group related tickets together. This is useful for assigning tickets to the relevant support section or technician and for reporting and analysis.

Service management standards distinguish between the following basic ticket types: 1

Requests are for provisioning things that the IT department has a SOP for, such as setting up new user accounts, purchasing new hardware or software, deploying a web server, and so on. Complex requests that aren't covered by existing procedures are better treated as projects rather than handled via the ticketing system.

Categories and subcategories group related tickets together. This is useful for assigning tickets to the relevant support section or technician and for reporting and analysis.

Service management standards distinguish between the following basic ticket types: 2

Incidents are related to any errors or unexpected situations faced by end-users or customers. Incidents may be further categorized by severity (impact and urgency), such as minor, major, and critical.

Categories and subcategories group related tickets together. This is useful for assigning tickets to the relevant support section or technician and for reporting and analysis.

Service management standards distinguish between the following basic ticket types: 3

Problems are causes of incidents and will probably require analysis and service reconfiguration to solve. This type of ticket is likely to be generated internally when the help desk starts to receive many incidents of the same type.

One strategy is for a few simple, top-level categories that end-users can self-select, such as: ______________________________________. Then, when assigned to the ticket, the support technician can select from a longer list of additional categories and subcategories to help group related tickets for reporting and analysis purposes. Alternatively, or to supplement categories, the system might support adding standard keyword tags to each ticket. A keyword system is more flexible but does depend on each technician tagging the ticket appropriately.

New Device Request, New App Request, Employee Onboarding, Employee Offboarding, Help/Support, and Security Incident

A severity level is a way of classifying tickets into a priority order. As with categories, these should not be overly complex. For example, three severity levels based on impact might be considered sufficient: 1

Critical incidents have a widespread effect on customers or involve potential or actual data breach.

A severity level is a way of classifying tickets into a priority order. As with categories, these should not be overly complex. For example, three severity levels based on impact might be considered sufficient: 2

Major incidents affect a limited group of customers or involve a suspected security violation.

A severity level is a way of classifying tickets into a priority order. As with categories, these should not be overly complex. For example, three severity levels based on impact might be considered sufficient: 3

Minor incidents are not having a significant effect on customer groups.

More discrete levels may be required if the system must prioritize hundreds or thousands of minor incidents per week. A more sophisticated system that measures both impact and urgency might be required. _______ can also drive a notification system to make senior technicians and managers immediately aware of major and critical incidents as they arise.

Severity levels

After opening an incident or problem ticket, the troubleshooting process is applied until the issue is ______. At each stage, the system must track the ownership of the ticket (who is dealing with it) and its status (what has been done).

resolved

Escalation occurs when an agent cannot resolve the ticket. Some of the many reasons for escalation include: 1

The incident is related to a problem and requires analysis by senior technicians or by a third-party/warranty support service.

Escalation occurs when an agent cannot resolve the ticket. Some of the many reasons for escalation include: 2

The incident severity needs to be escalated from minor to major or major to critical and now needs the involvement of senior decision-makers.

Escalation occurs when an agent cannot resolve the ticket. Some of the many reasons for escalation include: 3

The incident needs the involvement of sales or marketing to deal with service complaints or refund requests.

The support team can be organized into tiers to clarify escalation levels. For example: Tier 0

presents self-service options for the customer to try to resolve an incident via advice from a knowledge base or "help bot." A knowledge base is a collection of FAQs and common troubleshooting procedures that a user can refer to before filing a trouble ticket.

The support team can be organized into tiers to clarify escalation levels. For example:Tier 1

connects the customer to an agent for initial diagnosis and possible incident resolution.

The support team can be organized into tiers to clarify escalation levels. For example: Tier 2

allows the agent to escalate the ticket to senior technicians (Tier 2 – Internal) or to a third-party support group (Tier 2 – External).

The support team can be organized into tiers to clarify escalation levels. For example:Tier 3

escalates the ticket as a problem to a development/engineer team or to senior managers and decision-makers.

System connects the customer to an agent for initial diagnosis and/or possible incident resolution.

tier 1

customer is presented self-service options to resolve the issue.

tier 0

The ticket is escalated to a member of the development/engineer team.

tier 2

The agent escalates the ticket to senior technicians or a third-party support aroup.

tier 3

Knowledge base

is a repository for articles that answer frequently asked questions (FAQs) and document common or significant troubleshooting scenarios and examples. Each inventory record could be tagged with a cross-reference to an internal knowledge base to implement self-service support and to assist technicians.

An _________ field could be used to link to external knowledge base articles, blog posts, and forum posts that are relevant to support.

asset notes

An _________ solicits the opinions of users/customers, technicians, managers, and stakeholders with some business or ownership interest in the problem being investigated.

incident report

For critical and major incidents, it may be appropriate to develop a more in-depth _________ , also referred to as an after-action report (AAR) or as lessons learned.

lesson learned report

Free-form text fields allow ticket requesters and agents to add descriptive information. There are normally three fields to reflect the ticket life cycle: Issue description

records the initial request with any detail that could easily be collected at the time.

Free-form text fields allow ticket requesters and agents to add descriptive information. There are normally three fields to reflect the ticket life cycle: Progress notes

record what diagnostic tools and processes have discovered and the identification and confirmation of a probable cause.

Free-form text fields allow ticket requesters and agents to add descriptive information. There are normally three fields to reflect the ticket life cycle:Problem resolution

sets out the plan of action and documents the successful implementation and testing of that plan and full system functionality. It should also record end-user or customer acceptance that the ticket can be closed.

Clear

means using plain language rather than jargon.

Concise

means using as few words as possible in short sentences. State the minimum of fact and action required to describe the issue or process.

A _________ is a self-serve central repository for information. IT service organizations will normally house troubleshooting articles that end users can refer to when attempting to self-correct or diagnose an issue. Frequently asked questions (FAQs) may also be provided to answer the most common questions or issues that an end user may face.

knowledge base

An_________ sets out what someone is allowed to use a particular service or resource for. Such a policy might be used in different contexts.

acceptable use policy (AUP)

For example, an ____could be enforced by a business to govern how employees use equipment and services such as telephone or Internet access provided to them at work. Another example might be an ____ enforcing a fair use policy governing usage of its Internet access services.

acceptable use policy (AUP)

Typically, the policy will forbid the use of equipment to defraud, defame, or to obtain illegal material. It is also likely to prohibit the installation of unauthorized hardware or software and to explicitly forbid actual or attempted intrusion (snooping). An organization's acceptable use policy may forbid use of Internet tools outside of work-related duties or restrict such use to break times.

acceptable use policy (AUP)

There will inevitably be a need to establish some technical facts with the customer. This means directing the customer to answer your questions. There are two broad types of questioning: Open-ended

A question that invites the other person to compose a response. For example, "What seems to be the problem?" invites the customer to give an opinion about what they think the problem is.

There will inevitably be a need to establish some technical facts with the customer. This means directing the customer to answer your questions. There are two broad types of questioning: Closed

A question that can only be answered with a "Yes" or "No" or that requires some other fixed response. For example, "What error number is displayed on the panel?" can only have one answer.

The market for operating systems is divided into four main types: Business client

Designed for use as a client in centrally managed business domain networks.

The market for operating systems is divided into four main types: Network Operating System (NOS)

Designed to run servers in business networks.

The market for operating systems is divided into four main types: Home client

Designed for standalone use or in a workgroup network in a home or small office.

The market for operating systems is divided into four main types: Cell phone (smartphone)/Tablet

Designed for handheld devices with a touch-operated interface.

Microsoft Windows serves all four market segments: Windows 10 and Windows 11

Available in editions for both business workstations and home PCs, supporting touch interfaces for tablets and laptops. (Note: Windows smartphones are discontinued.)

Microsoft Windows serves all four market segments: Windows Server 2019, 2022, and 2025

Optimized as Network Operating Systems (NOSs), sharing the same underlying code and desktop interface as the client versions.

MacOs

is exclusively available on Apple-built devices, such as Mac desktops, iMac all-in-ones, and MacBooks.

UNIX

is a trademark for a family of operating systems developed at Bell Laboratories in the late 1960s.

Linux

is an open-source OS kernel derived from UNIX. It includes features like a shell command interpreter, desktop environment, and app packages

Linux distros follow two release models: Standard Release

Uses versioning for updates, with some versions offering long-term support (LTS).

Linux distros follow two release models: Rolling Release

Provides updates as they become stable, without version distinctions.

Chrome OS

developed by Google, is a proprietary operating system derived from the open-source Chromium OS, which is based on Linux.

Apple iOS

is the operating system for Apple's iPhone and early iPad models. iOS is based on the macOS operating system and is closed-source, meaning only Apple can modify the code, and it runs exclusively on Apple devices.

Apple iPadOS

developed from iOS, supports the latest iPad models (2019 and later).

Android™

is an open-source operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance, driven by Google.

The New Technology File System (NTFS) is a proprietary file system developed by Microsoft for use with Windows. It provides a 64-bit addressing scheme, allowing for very large volumes and file sizes. In theory, the maximum volume size is 16 Exabytes, but actual implementations of NTFS are limited to between 137 GB and 256 Terabytes, depending on the version of Windows and the allocation unit size. The key NTFS features are: Journaling

When data is written to an NTFS volume, it is re-read, verified, and logged. In the event of a problem, the sector concerned is marked as bad and the data relocated. Journaling makes recovery after power outages and crashes faster and more reliable.

The New Technology File System (NTFS) is a proprietary file system developed by Microsoft for use with Windows. It provides a 64-bit addressing scheme, allowing for very large volumes and file sizes. In theory, the maximum volume size is 16 Exabytes, but actual implementations of NTFS are limited to between 137 GB and 256 Terabytes, depending on the version of Windows and the allocation unit size. The key NTFS features are: Snapshots

This allows the Volume Shadow Copy Service to make read-only copies of files at given points in time even if the file is locked by another process. This file version history allows users to revert changes more easily and supports backup operations.

The New Technology File System (NTFS) is a proprietary file system developed by Microsoft for use with Windows. It provides a 64-bit addressing scheme, allowing for very large volumes and file sizes. In theory, the maximum volume size is 16 Exabytes, but actual implementations of NTFS are limited to between 137 GB and 256 Terabytes, depending on the version of Windows and the allocation unit size. The key NTFS features are: Security

Features such as file permissions and ownership, file access audit trails, quota management, and encrypting file system (EFS) allow administrators to ensure only authorized users can read/modify file data.

The New Technology File System (NTFS) is a proprietary file system developed by Microsoft for use with Windows. It provides a 64-bit addressing scheme, allowing for very large volumes and file sizes. In theory, the maximum volume size is 16 Exabytes, but actual implementations of NTFS are limited to between 137 GB and 256 Terabytes, depending on the version of Windows and the allocation unit size. The key NTFS features are: POSIX Compliance

To support UNIX/Linux compatibility, Microsoft engineered NTFS to support case-sensitive naming, hard links, and other key features required by UNIX/Linux applications. Although the file system is case-sensitive capable and preserves case, Windows does not insist upon case-sensitive naming.

The New Technology File System (NTFS) is a proprietary file system developed by Microsoft for use with Windows. It provides a 64-bit addressing scheme, allowing for very large volumes and file sizes. In theory, the maximum volume size is 16 Exabytes, but actual implementations of NTFS are limited to between 137 GB and 256 Terabytes, depending on the version of Windows and the allocation unit size. The key NTFS features are: Indexing

The Indexing Service creates a catalog of file and folder locations and properties, speeding up searches.

The New Technology File System (NTFS) is a proprietary file system developed by Microsoft for use with Windows. It provides a 64-bit addressing scheme, allowing for very large volumes and file sizes. In theory, the maximum volume size is 16 Exabytes, but actual implementations of NTFS are limited to between 137 GB and 256 Terabytes, depending on the version of Windows and the allocation unit size. The key NTFS features are: Dynamic Disks

This disk management feature allows space on multiple physical disks to be combined into volumes.