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Up until now my solo tickets have been basic grunt work. Check this RJ-45 port for connectivity for a new hire, deliver this laptop, receive that one, upgrade this laptop and so on.
Then, the doozie came in.
10:30PM last night a high priority ticket was escalated to my supervisor.
12:00 she escalated it to our team lead.
I get in at 7:45 and as soon as I log on the team lead sends me an instant message that since the other tech is on vacation, she sent me a very high priority (second highest level, only higher level affects an entire area or the entire nation).
I open up the ticket, and it says::
"Please dispatch a technician to this location ASAP. They will need their laptop, a loopback, (I forgot this cable name, it's an RJ-45 to a DB9 / serial cable), and their wireless card please also check the store's wireless card".
OK. Anyone see an issue with this? I'll give you a minute.. You got it, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM TROUBLESHOOTING. I'm assuming the network is out in the store by the equipment they need me to bring (the severity level of the ticket would cover this, too).
Another issue is that stores do not have wireless cards unless it is a demo unit with a laptop, and if the card is bad, the store needs to exchange it with one from their inventory, it is not in our jurisdiction.
Hmm...
So, I'm IM'ing back and fourth with the team lead and she admits the ticket isn't too well described but agrees with my assumptions. She's describing to me the tools that I'll need, what they look like, what I'll need to do and so on.
Then, she gives me a number to call. In a nutshell, it is tech support for, well, tech support. These people are the grand poobahs of all technical knowledge. People who's knowledge I hope to even have a fraction of in years to come. I explain to the guy I am a neophyte in the team and my strength is in PCs, not servers, routers, and PBXs. He says that is no problem. Luckily for me he is very pacient and understanding.
Since I am not at the client's site then there isn't much he can do but basic preperation. He did admit that the person who submitted the ticket is notorious for not putting any relevant information in there. 
I call the opener and verify what time he'll be there then I pack up the van and head over (first time driving the van, it's BIG! Big enough to fit an entire server, on its side, in the back).
I get to the site and call the grand poobah back. First, check the router. Yep, green lights on all the connected ports. OK, so the router has power. Good. Lights? No light for CN and an amber light next to AL. Bad sign, that's an alarm. No signal is coming into the router. He has me check the modem, reboot it and still no luck.
He asks me how the wires look, I say like a spider's web that was on crack, heroine, PCP, acid, ecstacy, and whatever else is out there. He needs me to check one cable. I find it and it is secure into the router. Then, while trying to follow it though the 5-miles of spaghetti I remembered a secret weapon of mine.
A tone generator.
A tone generator is something you plug into a network cable and it sends a tone though it. Very usefull when you want to see where a cable goes. When you hold the "wand" to the cable, the wand sounds out the tone when you are near the cable (an inch or two). I'm able to easily follow it back to the input port.
I plug the cable back into the router then go to the inbox.
I give a slight tug on the cable. It came out. Hmm, bad cable?
I slide it back in and *click* it goes into place.
I am speechless for a minute. I get up, and look at the router. The AL light is gone and CN is now green. This is extremely good. The tech suggests that I replace the cable and I say that is not necesary, I think it was knocked out. Why?
This store does not have a dedicated LAN room. It is a LAN room / inventory room / manager's office / break room / storage closet / supply closet / whatever else room and right by this box is the trash barrel. I bet when they took the trash out last night they accidently hit the tab to release the RJ-45 out of the plug (it does go down, so gravity would do the rest. The tech on the phone says "great, andother problem waiting to happen" (I can see this becoming scary).
I show the MOD what happened and how to prevent it (and how to take care of it if it happenes again (I know they'll just call us again).
So, the good news is that I got some basic troubleshooting experience today. The bad news is that it really wasn't broken.
Then, the doozie came in.
10:30PM last night a high priority ticket was escalated to my supervisor.
12:00 she escalated it to our team lead.
I get in at 7:45 and as soon as I log on the team lead sends me an instant message that since the other tech is on vacation, she sent me a very high priority (second highest level, only higher level affects an entire area or the entire nation).
I open up the ticket, and it says::
"Please dispatch a technician to this location ASAP. They will need their laptop, a loopback, (I forgot this cable name, it's an RJ-45 to a DB9 / serial cable), and their wireless card please also check the store's wireless card".
OK. Anyone see an issue with this? I'll give you a minute.. You got it, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM TROUBLESHOOTING. I'm assuming the network is out in the store by the equipment they need me to bring (the severity level of the ticket would cover this, too).
Another issue is that stores do not have wireless cards unless it is a demo unit with a laptop, and if the card is bad, the store needs to exchange it with one from their inventory, it is not in our jurisdiction.
Hmm...
So, I'm IM'ing back and fourth with the team lead and she admits the ticket isn't too well described but agrees with my assumptions. She's describing to me the tools that I'll need, what they look like, what I'll need to do and so on.
Then, she gives me a number to call. In a nutshell, it is tech support for, well, tech support. These people are the grand poobahs of all technical knowledge. People who's knowledge I hope to even have a fraction of in years to come. I explain to the guy I am a neophyte in the team and my strength is in PCs, not servers, routers, and PBXs. He says that is no problem. Luckily for me he is very pacient and understanding.
Since I am not at the client's site then there isn't much he can do but basic preperation. He did admit that the person who submitted the ticket is notorious for not putting any relevant information in there. I call the opener and verify what time he'll be there then I pack up the van and head over (first time driving the van, it's BIG! Big enough to fit an entire server, on its side, in the back).
I get to the site and call the grand poobah back. First, check the router. Yep, green lights on all the connected ports. OK, so the router has power. Good. Lights? No light for CN and an amber light next to AL. Bad sign, that's an alarm. No signal is coming into the router. He has me check the modem, reboot it and still no luck.
He asks me how the wires look, I say like a spider's web that was on crack, heroine, PCP, acid, ecstacy, and whatever else is out there. He needs me to check one cable. I find it and it is secure into the router. Then, while trying to follow it though the 5-miles of spaghetti I remembered a secret weapon of mine.
A tone generator.
A tone generator is something you plug into a network cable and it sends a tone though it. Very usefull when you want to see where a cable goes. When you hold the "wand" to the cable, the wand sounds out the tone when you are near the cable (an inch or two). I'm able to easily follow it back to the input port.
I plug the cable back into the router then go to the inbox.
I give a slight tug on the cable. It came out. Hmm, bad cable?
I slide it back in and *click* it goes into place.
I am speechless for a minute. I get up, and look at the router. The AL light is gone and CN is now green. This is extremely good. The tech suggests that I replace the cable and I say that is not necesary, I think it was knocked out. Why?
This store does not have a dedicated LAN room. It is a LAN room / inventory room / manager's office / break room / storage closet / supply closet / whatever else room and right by this box is the trash barrel. I bet when they took the trash out last night they accidently hit the tab to release the RJ-45 out of the plug (it does go down, so gravity would do the rest. The tech on the phone says "great, andother problem waiting to happen" (I can see this becoming scary).
I show the MOD what happened and how to prevent it (and how to take care of it if it happenes again (I know they'll just call us again).
So, the good news is that I got some basic troubleshooting experience today. The bad news is that it really wasn't broken.
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