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Learn practical troubleshooting methods to identify and resolve PC issues efficiently while minimizing costs and downtime. Understand the importance of systematic diagnosis, intervention, and maintenance strategies. Explore the benefits and considerations of workstation virtualization for enhanced performance.
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Professional PC Support CPIS 210 John Beckett
Basic Troubleshooting Methods Knowledge Base Systematic (Scientific Method) • Composed of three-part rules • Symptom → Cause → Cure • Hypothesis • Test • Intervention • Re-Test Follow-the-Path • Identify source, target, path • Test at each point
Organize For Support • All user documents should be on the Network • All user PCs should be identical • Spare PCs should be stocked and pre-imaged • Violating any of these “should” statements “will” cost money! • User’s work is disrupted so they cannot be of value • It takes longer to service problems • Customers get poorer service, so you may lose business
Servicing a Failure • Determine that the user PC is at fault • Replace the PC • Set up DHCP server so it knows about the new PC • Handle the underlying issue in the back room • Without the user being off-line • On an orderly basis • Full suite of tests – no short-cuts
“We Can’t Afford to Replace them All Every Year” • Reduce underlying variation • Select computers whose design changes little if at all (“Corporate” models) • Switch models on a yearly basis • Limits the number of models you are supporting to the number of years in an upgrade cycle • At some point, abandon repairing/replacing old machines - “fixing” a computer implies upgrading • Avoid chain-reaction upgrades • They cost you time to move, reconfig, debug • Additional user re-training • Mere moving for a computer means more failures
Intel Study:Upgrade CycleVersus Cost Cost per year assuming manual build. There is no benefit to stretching cycle time much past 3 years. If you stretch it longer, you don’t save money – but you have obsolete PCs. Management Goal: Minimize TCO • Not considered in this study: • Cost savings due to imaging yrs 1-3 • Cost to business due to downtime • Lost employee time • Lost customers Source: http://download.intel.com/it/pdf/Using_TCO_To_Determine_PC_Upgrade_Cycles_ANIMATED_PDF.pdf
What does Workstation Virtualization Do? • Permits longer cycles for physical workstations • Permit quicker deployment • New workstations • Pushing out new software • Because what’s in the field is simpler: • Reduce cost of workstation failure • Reduce the likelihood of workstation failure • Add costs for the virtualization server • Hardware • Software • LAN bandwidth Is it worth it? Depends on the details – and YOU.