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Troubleshooting means locating trouble and identifying problems that cause them, such as equipment problems. First of all . . . don't panic. All right. You might look at the worst scenario. Get your information together. What is the problem? What is it that's causing the failure?
So, well, instead of panicking and start looking everywhere, not any particular way, I try to set up a process of elimination. I go step by step by step process and don't take shortcuts. Shortcuts can kill you. So even though it might take you a little longer, but you're going to go without having to go back and do it twice again. So the thing is, don't panic. Get the problem. Think about what you're going to do . . . follow a procedure. If you have to, sit down and take a deep breath and then consider what you're going to do. Otherwise„just don't rush into it, in other words.
Here's an example of a procedure, or process of elimination, that I might use in troubleshooting. Suppose a tester called in an "open" circuit, indication of a loss of service. I would ask for the facility name if available. [A "facility" is a telecommunications path.] If the engineering document is not available, I would access the AT&T network database for the document and print up a copy. I would then proceed to the designated location where the actual cross-connect wiring is done. Using a test unit that we call the T-BRD [pronounced T-bird], which is a test unit used not only to monitor an incoming signal but also to transmit a signal if needed, I would insert a test cord into the monitor jack-at the originating and terminating points„to determine if there is an incoming signal.
Once I have determined there is an incoming signal, from either side, I have initially cleared our office. But if I have determined there is a problem within our office, I would verify all the equipment using terminals that access that equipment. If all the options [equipment] proved okay, I would then patch over the wiring, using some of our patch cords, which in turn replaces the actual wiring; this will prove the wiring good or bad.
If the wiring is proven good, I switch to an alternate equivalent backup circuit pack. That puts the facility (communication path) on a back-up circuit pack. Then I would replace any circuit packs, if needed or rewire the circuit, eliminating any defective wiring. If the circuit involved one of our DACS frames and the tester could not access the frame, I would then access it using some of the input commands to determine the state of the npc (network process card) which carries the facility. If it indicated out-of-service, I would input a command to restore it to service.
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