General Troubleshooting Techniques

Knowing how to approach a problem is critical to being able to resolve problems. Try the techniques described in this topic, and gather as much information as you can.

Verify the Environment

Consider the following:

  • What is the network environment (network topology, network connection speeds, etc.)?
  • What authorization is required to access certain machines on the network?
  • What operating systems are installed?
  • What Cherwell Asset Management configuration is being used and where are each of the server components installed?
  • Have all server and machine minimum requirements been met?

Identify Symptoms and Frequency of the Problem

Consider the following:

  • Is this a new installation?
  • Has Cherwell Asset Management ever worked? If so, what has changed since then?
  • Is the problem sporadic or continual?
  • What error messages are displayed and when?
  • Can you re-create the problem?
  • Have you examined the Windows Event Viewer or any other Cherwell Asset Management-related log files?

Determine Where the Problem Exists

Sometimes the most difficult part of troubleshooting is identifying the source of the problem.

If you are working on a problem with a machine on which the CAM Agent was installed, determine if that installation was successful. If you can determine that this is the case, you eliminate one possible source for the issue and can focus on the access point and the SQL Server database.

To resolve agent-related issues, you should first examine the installation folder (C:\windows\syswow64\wex4962 on 64-bit machines) on the affected agent for any .log files that might indicate where the problem exists. Log files can also exist in other locations, such as %appdata%\Cherwell Asset Management and %allusersprofile%\Cherwell Asset Management.

For non-agent problems, you should examine the Event Viewer for any Cherwell Asset Management-related events that have been reported. (To launch the Event Viewer, select Event Viewer from the Tools menu.)