Site Network Map; Logical Connections; Device Configuration Information; Other Important Data About Your Network - Nortel 8300 Troubleshooting Manual

14 Troubleshooting planning

Site network map

A site network map Identifies where each device is physically on your
site, which helps locate the users and applications that are affected by a
problem. You can use map to systematically search each part of your
network for problems.

Logical connections

With virtual LANs (VLANs), you must know how your devices are connected
logically as well as physically.
Device configuration information
Maintain online and paper copies of your device configuration information.
Ensure that all online data is stored with your site's regular data backup.
If your site does not have a backup system, copy the information onto a
backup disk (such as a CD or zip disk) and store the backup disk at an
offsite location.

Other important data about your network

For a complete picture of your network, have the following information
available:
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•
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Normal behavior on your network

When you are familiar with your network after it is fully operational, you can
be more effective at troubleshooting problems that arise. To understand the
normal behavior of you network, monitor your network over a long period of
time. During this time you can see a pattern in the traffic flow, such as which
devices are typically accessed or when peak usage times occur.
Copyright © 2007, Nortel Networks
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All passwords - Store passwords in a safe place. It is a good practice
to keep records of you 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 - It is a good practice to maintain a device inventory,
which list all devices and relevant information for your network. You can
use the inventory to easily see the device type, IP address, ports, MAC
addresses, and attached devices.
MAC address-to-port number list - If your hubs or switches are not
managed, you must keep a list of the MAC addresses that correlate to
the ports on your hubs and switches.
Change control - Maintain a change control system for all critical
systems. Permanently store change control records.
Contact details - It is a good practice to store the details of all support
contracts, support numbers, engineer details, and telephone and fax
numbers. Having this information available when troubleshooting can
save a lot to time.
Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300
Troubleshooting
NN46200-704 01.01 Standard
4.0 29 October 2007