NonStop NS-Series Operations Guide (H06.12+)

Task 3: Escalate the Problem If Necessary
If the solutions you tried in the previous tasks do not solve the problem, you might consider
escalating the problem to get additional help.
Task 3a: Determine Whether You Need to Escalate the Problem
After you complete each task in the problem-solving process, you must decide whether you can
continue by yourself or if you must ask for help. Ask yourself these questions:
• Do I have the authority to resolve this problem?
• Do I have the necessary knowledge?
• Do I have the skill?
• Do I have the time?
• What other people need to become involved, if any?
• Who needs to be informed about the problem’s status?
Task 3b: Provide Documentation
If you decide to escalate the problem, you might be required to document the problem by
providing:
• A problem identification number
• A problem classification
• A complete description and history of the problem
• Diagnostic information such as copies of the event log, results of memory dumps, and so
on
You might also have procedures at your site for logging problems. If you have a shift log or
problem log, make timely entries in the log.
Task 4: Prevent Future Problems
Solving problems that occur with your system can be exciting because it is active and stimulating.
Preventing problems is often less dramatic. But in the end, prevention is more productive than
solving problems. The more work you do to prevent problems before they arise, the fewer
problems that will arise at potentially critical times.
These questions provide a framework for your problem-prevention efforts:
• Why did this problem occur? What was the root cause? Were there any contributing causes?
• How serious was the problem?
• What is the likelihood that it will occur again?
• Is it possible to eliminate the causes of this problem?
• Is it possible to reduce the likelihood that this problem will occur in the future?
• Can automation tools be used to detect and respond to preliminary symptoms of this
problem?
• Can anything be done now to minimize the damage that would result from a reoccurrence
of this problem?
• Can the problem resolution process be improved in any way?
Logging On to an Integrity NonStop Server
Many operations and troubleshooting tasks are performed by logging on to your Integrity
NonStop server from a system console and using the TACL command interpreter or one of the
OSM applications. For example, the TACL command interpreter allows you to access SCF, which
you use to configure, control, and collect information about objects within subsystems. For
examples of OSM tasks and functions, see “Overview of OSM Applications” (page 32).
30 Introduction to Integrity NonStop NS-Series Operations