When it comes to Linux troubleshooting you can use a variety of tools.  One thing there are a number of graphical applications that make it easy to troubleshoot network problems both locally and remotely. There is also a set of command line tools that can be used to determine which component is causing the problem.

The easiest way to check the waters is to use the virtual console. This allows you to shutdown and then run various commands you can even do a reboot by pressing E at this point.

If you need to extract the log file the minus utility will show you the system CPU information. Usually large files but they are very useful when troubleshooting. They may contain helpful messages about startup problems.

Another useful tool is the ping function this lists network traffic. This can help you determine whats going on where the traffic is coming from and which device is causing the problem.

The “top” function will give you a list of processes that are using resources on your system you can use it to identify the processes using the most memory and CPU. Want to make sure you have enough memory and CPU power before trying to reboot. Once you are there you should check the file /var/log/messages. Linux log files are usually large but they can be useful to you especially if you’re trying to troubleshoot boot problems.

A problem can be caused by many different components but the most important thing to do is to find the cause. As you progress be prepared to replace or upgrade the component that is causing the problem.

The best troubleshooting strategy is to break the problem down into smaller simpler pieces. If you see unusually high memory usage consider upgrading your system’s RAM or CPU. You may decide to reboot the entire system to see if the problem goes away.

The “traceroute” command will let you see which devices are sending the most traffic to and from the internet. You should be careful not to make the mistake of assuming that all traffic on your network is coming from the same place.

The best way to learn how to do all of this is to invest in quality documentation. This will help you create a complete list of potential fixes. Once you have this list you are ready to go use it as the basis for a troubleshooting checklist. And don’t forget to search the internet for more useful information.

Overall troubleshooting is all about testing checking assumptions and then adjusting them based on the problem with a little foresight and a lot of patience you should be able to get your server up and running.