1 ISP Help Desk Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP – Chapter 2

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ISP Help Desk

Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP – Chapter 2

ITE PC v4.0Chapter 1 2© 2007 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Cisco Public

Key Vocabulary Insert the following terms on

a piece of paper and look up the definition for each and then write a sentence for each one. Print & Submit.

Escalate

Service Level Agreement

Incident Management

OSI Model

Encoding

TCP

Bottom Up Troubleshooting

Top Down Troubleshooting

Divide and Conquer Troubleshooting

DHCP

Link-Local-Address

11 Terms, 20 minutes 50 points


The ISP Help Desk

Top priority of all ISPs = solving customer problems

Poor service means lost customers . . .

Lost customers = loss of money

Two primary goals of the help desk – 1) network optimization 2) customer retention

In order to help a customer a help desk technician must define the problem


Levels of ISP Customer Support Level 1

– junior-level help desk technicians

– offers immediate support for the customer

• first point of customer contact

– responsibilities

• basic connectivity issues

• document hardware, software, system problems

• help with user issues

• help customers complete basic online forms

– many issues can be solved here

• if unable to solve here then . . .



– offers more experienced customer support

– fewer agents due to high skill level required

– helps solve more difficult problems that cannot be fixed by Level 1 support

– use diagnostic tools (remote desktop) to fix problems

– helps to identify if an on-site technician needs to come to job site


Summary of Level 1 and 2 ISP Support

talk to the customers on the telephone

use various web tools

use remote desktop sharing applications



– solves problems not solved by Levels 1 & 2

– surveys network conditions

– installs and configures new equipment (only level to do this)


Activity

Complete the activity on page 2.1.2.3


Dealing with the Customer Help desk technicians are often the first point of contact

for frustrated customers

Important to follow Incident Management Procedures– 1)open trouble ticket

– 2)follow different problem solving strategies

• bottom up-starts with the physical components of the network and works its way up the layers of the OSI model.

• top down -This approach starts with the assumption that the problem is with the application and not the network infrastructure.

• divide and conquer-technician makes an educated guess targeting the problem layer

– must be followed every time a call comes in to ISP


Bottom Up Question

A customer calls the help desk about setting up a new PC and cable modem and being unable to access the Internet. What three questions would the technician ask if the bottom-up troubleshooting approach is used?

Is the NIC link light blinking?

Is the network cable properly attached to the modem?

Is the Category 5 cable properly connected to the network slot on the PC?


Dealing with the Customer Excellent interpersonal skills needed

– greet customer pleasantly

– open a trouble ticket

• helps deal with any future problems

•After trying unsuccessfully to fix a problem, the help desk technician sends the trouble ticket to the onsite support staff. This is called escalating a trouble ticket • documents how the problem was solved

– LISTEN to the customer

– maintain a professional demeanor throughout the conversation

– log the call


Activity

Complete the activity on 2.1.3.4


Role Play

In groups of 3 write a script that highlights a conversation from a customer with a computer or network issue (you decide the issue and how complex you want it to be) and both level 1 and level 2 ISP technicians. Include suggestions, processes, test and other measures that might be recommended by the technician to fix the problem. After the script has been designed it should be presented to the class. Overall time frame should be 4-6 minutes.


OSI Model & How its used in TroubleshootingUse of the OSI model helps break communication into

smaller parts

Upper layers – initiating the network communication process application, encrypting and compressing data for transmission

–application

–presentation

– session

Lower layers – data transport– transport

– network

– data link

– physical


Encapsulation

Encapsulation is the process of getting data ready for transmission

From layer 4 downSegments, packet, frame bits

From layer 1 upBits, frame, packet, segments


Layer 4 - Transport Layer delivers data reliably across the network using TCP

Used to ensure end to end transport

Breaks messages into smaller segments

Header attached with the correct UDP/TCP port numbers

Firewall problems could exist here– incorrect port number

– port may not be open


Layer 3 - Network Layer Adds network IP address

Takes information from transport layer and puts it in a packet

– packet holds source and destination IP address

Routers used destination IP to direct packets to the correct network


Layer 2 - Data Link Layer Packet (from network layer) encapsulated into a frame

Frame includes MAC (physical address of next directly connected network device)

Used by switches and NICs to deliver information to the next device


Layer 1 - Physical Layer Frame (from data link layer) converted into 1 and 0’s

– bits

All cabling issues are here!! No cable, loose cable, broken connector, cut cable

The physical layer converts data into bits and is in charge of signal generation


Troubleshooting Procedures Layer 3 Problems

– check logical (IP address)

– possible problems

• Is the IP within the assigned network?

• Is the correct subnet mask being used?

• Is the correct default gateway set?

• check DNS and/or DHCP settings

Utilities used to check Layer 3 issues– ipconfig – shows IP settings

– ping

– traceroute

Which address is used by the router to direct a packet between networks? Destination IP Address


Activity



Layer 3 question

A customer calls the ISP help desk after setting up a new PC with a cable modem but being unable to access the Internet. After the help desk technician has verified Layer 1 and Layer 2, what are three questions the help desk technician should ask the customer?

Can you ping the default gateway

What is your IP address

What is your subnet mask


Layer 3 Question

While troubleshooting a connectivity issue on a host, a network administrator issues the ping 127.0.0.1 command. The pings are unsuccessful. What is most likely the problem?

The TCP/IP stack is not loaded properly.


Troubleshooting Procedures Layer 4 Problems

– Possible firewall issue – this could block transmission

– check to see if the TCP or UDP port is open

Layers 5-7 Problems– check application configuration

– check for correct user settings

• Email, etc

– Use utilities to help solve the issues

• packet sniffer

• telnet


Situation

The DHCP server in a lab environment is down when multiple DHCP clients in the lab are booted for the first time. How will DHCP clients be affected by the absence of a DHCP server during boot?

All clients with link-local addresses will communicate with each other in a peer-to-peer manner

A link-local address will be automatically assigned to the hosts by the operating system.


Activity



On-site Procedures Show proper Identification

Review work order with customer– ensures all information is correct

Communicate what you plan to do

Get permission to begin work

After solving problem, . . – leave documentation with customer


Summary

Help Desk user support exists at three levels.

Help desk operation relies on good customer communications skills, organization, and a layered approach to problem solving.

The OSI Model is the basis for effective troubleshooting.

Documentation is crucial in effective troubleshooting.


Packet Tracer

Complete the packet tracer activity on 2.3.1.4


Documents

1 ISP Help Desk Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP – Chapter 2