Are all the ring stations on the network experiencing the failure symptom?
Go to page 6.1. 

 Is just a group of ring stations experiencing the failure symptom?
Go to page 6.2. 

 Is just one ring station experiencing the failure symptom? 
Go to page 6.3. 

This procedure is generic as to the ring station/PC manufacturer. For some of the troubleshooting steps mentioned on this page, you should also reference the PC manufacturer's documentation for any special predefined methods for checking PC configuration and for PC testing. 

Are all the ring stations running the same application or using the same directories or files on a particular file server when experiencing the symptom?

Go to page 14 and troubleshoot possible file server application or directory/file problems.

Go to the next step .

Have you troubleshot and verified the integrity of the main ring path cabling?

Run a protocol analysis session to gather more conclusive results by going to page 15 .

Troubleshoot the main ring path cabling by going to page 3 (Cable Problems) . 

Is the group of ring stations running the same application or using the same directories or files on a particular file server when experiencing the symptom?
Go to page 14 and troubleshoot possible file server application or directory/file problems.

Is the group of users located on the same MAU or wiring hub module?

Troubleshoot a possible MAU or wiring hub failure by going to page 4 .

Recheck the ring stations involved for proper software and hardware configuration setup and requirements.

·Make sure that all the necessary directories and files are on the local drives in the ring stations and ar e set up correctly.

Make sure that all the necessary hardware is installed in the ring stations and is configured correctly.

Check the network operating system manuals for station setup concerning both software and hardware prerequisites.

Are any identifiable hardware or software configuration setup problems present with the involved ring stations?

Take the necessary action to resolve the configuration problem and retest the ring stations for proper operation. If the failure symptom is gone, record the problem in the network maintenance and service log. If a failure symptom still exists, go to the next step .

If the problem strongly appears to be network file server-to-ring station related to ring insertion, go to page 14 .

If you cannot be conclusive, go to page 15 and run a protocol analysis session on the ring. 

Is the ring station always running the same application or using the same directory or file on a particular file server when experiencing the symptom?
Go to page 14 and troubleshoot possible file server application or directory/file problems.

Move the ring station to another port on the MAU or wiring hub and recheck the ring station operation.

Did moving the ring station to another port resolve the problem?

Go to page 4 and troubleshoot possible MAU or wiring hub problems.

Troubleshoot the respective lobe cable involved by going to page 3 .

If troubleshooting the lobe cable does identify any problems with the lobe cable, come back to this page by choosing "back" in your browser (as many times as necessary to get back here), then continue from here.

Test the respective ring station for proper software and hardware configuration setup and requirements.

    * ·Make sure that all the necessary directories and files are on the local drive in the ring station and are set up correctly.
    * ·Make sure that all the necessary hardware is installed in the ring station and is configured correctly. 

Check the network operating system manuals for station setup concerning both software and hardware prerequisites.

Did rechecking the ring station software and hardware requirements locate any incorrect configuration setup problems?

Take the necessary action to resolve the configuration problem and retest the ring station for proper operation. If the failure symptom is gone, record the problem in the network maintenance and service log.

If the problem still exists and it strongly appears to be network file server-to-ring station related to ring insertion, go to page 15 and troubleshoot the high-level communication process. If it does not appear to be file server related, go to the next step .

Attempt to run any available PC diagnostics. Also try to troubleshoot the PC for any I/O board conflicts.

Did running the diagnostics or troubleshooting the PC find any problems?

Take the necessary action to resolve the problem and retest the ring st ation for proper operation. If the failure symptom is gone, record the problem in the network maintenance and service log. If the problem still exists after retesting, go to the next step.

Go to page 5 and troubleshoot the respective ring station for a NIC problem.

Many new ring stations are being manufactured with internal NICs within the PC motherboard hardware architecture. If the ring station you are troubleshooting has this configuration, you should just attempt to replace the motherboard rather than going to 5 and troubleshooting the NIC.

 November 15, 1996