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Difficulty: Very hardCompTIA Troubleshooting Methodology

A network architect is troubleshooting an issue where large database backups across a hybrid cloud IPsec tunnel intermittently drop during peak hours. The architect gathered system logs, verified that small control packets traverse the tunnel cleanly, and hypothesized that Path MTU Discovery (PMTUD) blackholing was occurring because ICMP Type 3 Code 4 (Fragmentation Needed) packets were being dropped by a perimeter security policy. In a staging environment, the architect configured an explicit ICMP inspection rule and successfully validated that 15001500-byte test frames were correctly fragmented and transmitted without session drops, thereby confirming the root cause. According to the CompTIA Troubleshooting Methodology, which of the following actions should the architect take NEXT?

  1. Establish a plan of action to deploy the ICMP policy change to production, including risk analysis and a rollback procedure.Answer
  2. B
    Apply the modified ICMP firewall rules directly to the production gateway and test for packet drops during the next scheduled backup cycle.
  3. C
    Perform a full system verification by monitoring database synchronization metrics and backup job completion status across all remote cloud nodes.
  4. D
    Document the ICMP packet size mismatch findings, root cause analysis, and staging test results in the incident management database.

Answer

Establish a plan of action to deploy the ICMP policy change to production, including risk analysis and a rollback procedure.
The scenario describes a technician who has already identified the issue (Step 1), established a theory regarding ICMP blocking (Step 2), and successfully tested the theory in a staging environment to confirm the root cause (Step 3). According to the official CompTIA Troubleshooting Methodology, the next required step is Step 4: 'Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution.' This step includes assessing potential impacts, creating rollback strategies, and securing proper change management approval prior to deploying changes in production.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the completed methodology steps in the scenario.
Identified that Step 1 (Identify the problem), Step 2 (Establish a theory of probable cause), and Step 3 (Test the theory to determine cause) have all been completed.
Testing the theory in a staging environment and confirming that the ICMP inspection rule resolved 15001500-byte frame drops signifies the completion of Step 3.
2
Determine the next sequential phase of the CompTIA 6-step troubleshooting methodology.
The immediate next step is Step 4: Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and implement the solution.
Before making changes to production infrastructure, a structured plan of action considering potential side effects and rollback steps must be established.
3
Evaluate the response options against Step 4 requirements.
Drafting the deployment plan, performing risk analysis, and defining a rollback procedure aligns directly with Step 4.
Direct implementation without a plan skips necessary risk management, whereas verification and documentation occur later in the troubleshooting process.

Key Concept

CompTIA Troubleshooting Methodology Step Sequence
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Topics

CompTIA Troubleshooting Methodology

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