Availability Guide for Problem Management

Recovering From Unplanned Outages
Availability Guide for Problem Management–125509
3-9
Gathering the Facts
Facts About the Circumstances
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Who reported the problem and where can they be contacted?
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What was the user doing when the problem occurred?
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What events led up to the problem?
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What information was displayed when the problem occurred?
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What do event messages, error logs, and memory dumps reveal?
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What has changed recently that might have caused the problem?
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What is the current configuration of the hardware and software products affected
(including release levels and product numbers)?
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What other relevant information can you provide about the problem?
Other Important Information
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What is the probable cause?
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Who should resolve the problem?
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How was the problem resolved?
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Was the problem escalated to a higher level of support?
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Who resolved the problem and when?
Maintaining a Problem-Reporting Log
Use a problem-reporting log to record the facts about the problem as it is reported to
your operations support staff. A problem-reporting log can be either online or in hard-
copy format. It should allow your staff to gather the following information quickly and
efficiently.
Figure 3-2 illustrates a sample problem-reporting log and the kind of information that
should be recorded on it. The information on the problem-reporting log can be used by
the operator, operations analyst, and whoever else is involved in resolving the problem.