13.1 - Identifying And Locating Symptoms And Problems 13.2 - Lilo Boot Errors 13.3 - Various Reasons For Package Dependency Problems 13.4 - Troubleshooting Network Problems 13.5 - Disaster Recovery

Chapter 13 Troubleshooting the Operating System  13.1 - Identifying and Locating Symptoms and Problems 13.2 - LILO Boot Errors 13.3 - Various Reasons for Package Dependency Problems 13.4 - Troubleshooting Network Problems 13.5 - Disaster Recovery

Identifying and Locating Symptoms and Problems

Hardware Problems • Although a few problems are due to a combination of factors, most can be isolated in origin to one of these:

• •

– Hardware, Kernel, Application Software, Configuration, and User Error, Other hardware leaves traces that the kernel detects and records. Assuming an error is such that it does not crash the system, evidence might be left in the log file /var/log/messages, with the message prefixed by the word oops.

Kernel Problems • Released Linux kernels are remarkably stable, unless experimental versions are used or individual modifications are made. • Loadable kernel modules are considered part of the kernel as well, at least for the time period they are loaded. • Sometimes these can cause difficulties, too. • The good news with modules is that they can be uninstalled and replaced with fixed versions while the system is still running.

Application Software • Errors in application packages are most identifiable in that they occur only when running the application. • This is in contrast to hardware and kernel conditions that affect an entire system. • Some common signs of application bugs are failure to execute and program crash. • An application may consume too much system memory and ultimately begin to swap so badly that the whole system is affected. • Some errors are caused by things that have to do with the running program itself.

Configuration • Configuration problems tend to affect whole subsystems, such as the graphics, printing, or networking subsystems. • If the system is rebooted and a remote file system that was once present is not, the first place to look is in the configuration file /etc/fstab to see if the file system is supposed to be mounted at boot time.

User Error • It is not unforgivable to make a mistake in using a computer program, nor is it to be ignorant of the right way to do something. It is only unforgivable to insist on remaining stubbornly so. • There is more to know about the ins and outs of operating almost any software package than

everyday users will ever care or attempt to learn. 

Using System Utilities and System Status Tools • Linux operating systems provide various system utilities and system status tools. • The setserial utility provides information and set options for the serial ports on the system. • The lpq command helps resolve printing problems. • The command will display all the jobs that are waiting to be printed.

Using System Utilities and System Status Tools • The ipconfig command can be entered at the shell to return the current network interface configuration of the system. • The route command displays or sets the information on the system’s routing, which it uses to send information to particular IP addresses. 

Unresponsive Programs and Processes • Sometimes there are programs and processes that for various reasons can become unresponsive or “lock up”. • Sometimes just the program or process itself will lock up and other times can cause the entire system to become unresponsive. • One method of identifying and locating the unresponsive program and effectively troubleshooting the problem is to kill or restart the process or program.

When to Start, Stop,  or Restart a Process • It is easiest to terminate a program by using the kill command. • Other processes need to be terminated by editing the Sys V startup script. • When restarting a program, service, or daemon it is best to first consult the documentation because different programs have to be restarted in different ways. • Some support using the restart command, some need to be stopped completely and then started again, and others can simply reread their configuration files without needing to be either stopped and started again, or restarted. 

Troubleshooting Persistent Problems • The best way to fix programs that crash repeatedly is to replace them with new software or with a different kind of software that performs the same task. • If it is possible, try using the software in a different way or if there is a particular keystroke or command that causes the program to fail, stop using it. • Most times there will be replacement software available. • If it is a daemon that is crashing regularly try using other methods of starting it and running it. 

Examining Log Files •

•

•

Some of the more important log files on a Linux system are the /var/log/messages, /var/log/secure, and the /var/log/syslog log files. The system’s log files can be used to monitor system loads such as how many pages a web server has served. They can also check for security breaches such as intrusion attempts, verify that the system is functioning properly, and note any errors that might be generated by software or programs.

Examining Log Files • There are several different types of information that are good to know, which will make identifying problems using the log files a little easier. • Some of these are listed below: – – – – –

Monitoring System Loads Intrusion Attempts and Detection Normal System Functioning Missing Entries Error Messages 

The dmesg Command • The dmesg command can be used to display the recent kernel messages, also known as the kernel ring buffer. • These messages contain information about the hardware installed in the system and the drivers. • The information in these messages relates to whether the drivers are being loaded successfully and what devices the drivers are controlling.

Troubleshooting Problems  Based on User Feedback • There are several different types of problems that users report. • Some of the most common ones are: – Login Problems – File Permission Problems – Removable Media Problems – E-mail Problems – Program Errors – Shutdown Problems

LILO Boot Errors

Error Codes • The LILO boot loader is the first piece of code that takes control of the boot process form the BIOS. It loads the Linux kernel, and then passes control entirely to the Linux kernel. • When there is a problem with LILO an error code will be displayed: – None, L error-code, LI, LI101010… LIL , LIL?, LIL-, LILO

Booting a Linux System  without LILO • Using the LILO on a  Floppy method is the  least useful but it can help  in some instances.  • From this screen a LILO  boot floppy disk can be  created which can be used  to boot Linux from LILO  using the floppy disk.

Emergency Boot System • Linux provides an emergency system’s copy of LILO, which can be used to boot Linux in the event that the original LILO boot loader has errors or is not working. • This is known as the Emergency Boot System. • To use this copy of LILO configuration changes must be made in lilo.conf.

Using an Emergency  Boot Disk in Linux • There are several reasons and errors that can cause a Linux system not to boot, besides LILO problems. • The emergency boot disk should have the necessary disk utilities such as fdisk, mkfs, and fsck, which can be used to format a hard drive so that Linux can be installed on it. 

Using an Emergency  Boot Disk in Linux • It is always important to include some sort of backup software utility. • If a change or repair to some configuration files needs to be made, first back them up. • Most distributions come with some sort of backup utility like tar, restore, cpio, and possibly others.

Recognizing Common Errors

Various Reasons for  Package Dependency Problems • When a package is installed in a Linux system there might be other packages that need to be installed for that particular package to work properly. • The dependency package may have certain files which need to be in place or it may run certain services which need to be started before the package that is to be installed can work. • Linux will often notify the user if they are installing a package that has dependencies so that they can be installed as well.

Solutions to Package  Dependency Problems • One solution to solving package dependency problems is to simply ignore the error message and forcibly install the package anyway. • The correct and recommended method for providing solutions is to modify the system so that it has the necessary dependencies that are needed to run properly. • It may be necessary to rebuild the package from source code if there are dependency error messages showing up. • The easiest way is to locate a different version of the package that is causing the problems. • Another option is to look for a newer version of the package.  

Backup and Restore Errors • Backup and Restore errors can occur at different points. • Some errors will occur when the system is actually performing the backup. • Other errors will occur during the restore process when the system is attempting to recover data. • Some of the most common types of problems: – – – – –

Driver problems Tape drive access errors File access errors Media errors Files not found errors 

Application Failure  on Linux Servers • There are several things that can provide some indication of an application failure or software problem on a Linux server: – – – – –

Failure to Start Failure to Respond Slow Responses Unexpected Reponses Crashing Application or Server

• A good general rule is to check the system’s logs. • The system’s log files are usually the place to find most error messages that are generated because they are not always displayed on the screen.

Troubleshooting Network Problems

Loss of Connectivity • Loss of connectivity can be hardware and/or software related. The first rule of troubleshooting is to check for physical connectivity. • Ensure that the cables are properly plugged in at both ends, that the network adapter is functioning by checking the link light on the NIC, that the hub's status lights are on, and that the communication problem is not a simple hardware malfunction.

Operator Error • Be sure that users are using the correct username and password and that their accounts are not restricted in a way that prevents them from being able to connect to the network. •

Software settings might have been changed by the installation routine of a recently installed program, or the user might have been experimenting with settings.

• Users accidentally, or purposely, delete files, and power surges or shutting down the computer abruptly can damage file data. • Viruses can also damage system files or user data.

Using TCP/IP Utilities • •

• •

•

The first step in checking for a suspected connectivity problem is to ping the host. If a reply is received, the physical connection between the two computers is intact and working. The successful reply also signifies that the calling system can reach the Internet. The term ping time refers to the amount of time that elapses between the sending of the Echo Request and receipt of the Echo Reply. A low ping time indicates a fast connection.

Using TCP/IP Utilities • Tracing utilities are used to discover the route taken by a packet to reach its destination. • The way to determine packet routing in UNIX systems is the traceroute command. • Traceroute shows all the routers through which the packet passes as it travels through the network from sending computer to destination computer. • This is useful for determining at what point connectivity is lost or slowed.

Using TCP/IP Utilities • The ipconfig command is used in Windows NT and Windows 2000 to display the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway for which a network adapter is configured. • For more detailed information, the /all switch is used.

Problem­Solving Guidelines • Troubleshooting a network requires problem-solving skills. • The use of a structured method to detect, analyze, and address each problem as it is encountered increases the likelihood of successful troubleshooting. • These steps should be followed: – – – – –

Gather information Analyze the information Formulate and implement a "treatment" plan Test to verify the results of the treatment Document everything  

Windows 2000 Diagnostic Tools • The network diagnostic tools for Microsoft Windows 2000 Server include Ipconfig, Nbtstat, Netstat, Nslookup, Ping, and Tracert. • Windows 2000 Server also includes the Netdiag and Pathping commands.

Wake­on­LAN • •

• • •

Some network interface cards support a technology known as Wake-On-LAN (WOL). The purpose of WOL technology is to enable a network administrator to power up a computer by sending a signal to the NIC with WOL technology. The signal is called a magic packet. When the magic packet is received by the NIC, it will power up the computer in which it is installed. When fully powered up, the remote computer can be accessed through normal remote diagnostic software. 

Disaster Recovery

Risk Analysis A good risk analysis can be broken into the following four parts: •

•

Identify business processes and their associated infrastructure. Identify the threats associated with each of the business processes and associated infrastructure. Define the level of risk associated with each threat.

•

Rank the risks based on severity and likelihood.

•

Understanding Redundancy • Redundancy is the ability to continue providing service when something fails. • RAID 0 - also known as disk striping, it writes data across two or more physical drives and has no redundancy.

Understanding Redundancy •

• •

• •

RAID 1 - also known as disk mirroring, requires the use of two disk drives and one disk controller to provide redundancy. To increase performance add a second controller, one for each disk drive. RAID 5 - also know as disk striping with parity. Parity is an encoding scheme that represents where the information is stored on each drive. RAID 5 is similar to RAID 0 in that it writes data across disks but it adds a parity bit for redundancy. Three drives are required to implement this type of RAID.

Understanding Redundancy • RAID 0+1 offers the best of both worlds, the performance of RAID 0 and the redundancy of RAID 1. • This is an expensive solution because of the number of drives it requires. • A number of other components in the server can be configured in a redundant manner: – Power supplies, Cooling fans, Network interface adapters, Processors, Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)

Clustering • A cluster is a group of independent computers working together as a single system. • This system is used to ensure that mission-critical applications and resources are as highly available as possible. • The advantages to running a clustered configurations: – Fault tolerance, High availability, Scalability, Easier manageability 

Scalability • Scalability refers to how well a hardware or software system can adapt to increased demands. • The question is how much extra capacity should be built in, and how much additional capacity can be added once the server is installed? • It is a good idea to add an additional 25% to any new server configurations to ensure scalability.  

High Availability • High availability is the designing and configuring of a server to provide continuous use of critical data and applications. • Highly available systems are required to provide access to the enterprise applications that keep businesses up and running, regardless of planned or unplanned interruption. • It is not uncommon for mission critical applications to have an availability requirement of 99.999%. 

Hot Swapping,  Warm Swapping, and Hot Spares The types of components that might be kept on hand in case of a problem are broken into these three basic categories: 1.

2.

3.

A hot-swap component has the capability to be added and removed from a computer while the computer is running and have the operating system automatically recognize the change. Warm swaps are generally done in conjunction with the failure of a hard drive. In this case, it is necessary to shut down the disk array before the drive can be replaced. A hot-spare component is a component that can be kept on hand in case of an equipment failure.

Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan  Based on Fault Tolerance/Recovery The first piece of the plan is to create the fault-tolerance portion of the disaster-recovery plan, follow these steps: • • •

From the risk analysis, identify the hardware failurerelated threats From the list of components, identify the components that place the data at the most risk if they were to fail Take each component and make a list of the methods that could be used to implement it in a fault-tolerant configuration. List approximate costs for each solution and the estimated outage time in the event of a failure for each component. 

Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan Based on  Fault Tolerance/Recovery 4. Take any components that can be implemented in a cost effective manner and start documenting the configuration. 2. Take any components that either cannot be implemented in a fault-tolerant configuration or that for which a fault-tolerant configuration would be costprohibitive, and determine whether a spare part should be kept on hand in the event of an outage. 3. The disaster-recovery plan should include documented contingencies for any of the threats identified as part of the risk analysis. 4. After all this information has been documented, place the orders and get ready to start configuring the server.

Testing the Plan Some of the things that should be tested for include the following: • Check the documentation to ensure that it is understandable and complete. • Do a “dry run” of each of the components of the plan. Make sure spare drives can be located, if applicable, and that replacement parts can be ordered from the vendor. • Test the notification processes. It should be documented who is to be notified in case of an outage. • Check the locations of any hot spare equipment or servers. • Verify that any support contracts that are on equipment are still in effect, and that all the contact numbers are available. • Test the tape backups at least once a week. • Test the RAID configuration at least twice a year.

Hot and Cold Sites Two types of disaster-recovery sites are commonly used: 1. A hot site is a commercial facility available for systems backup. •

•

For a fee, these vendors provide a facility with server hardware, telecommunications hardware, and personnel to assist a company with restoring critical business applications and services in the event of an interruption in normal operations.

A cold site, also known as a shell site, is a facility that has been prepared to receive computer equipment in the event that the primary facility is destroyed or becomes unusable.