Write a troubleshooting decision tree with inconclusive exits
Support scripts force every connection failure into a known cause.
- Focused work estimate
- 1h + prerequisites
- Priority in the scenario
- Low
- Engineering practice
- Technical writing
Estimated field mix
- Networking70%
- Site reliability30%
Field percentages are editorial estimates of the ticket's engineering focus. They total 100%; they are not measured time, proficiency scores, or ownership evidence.
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Project context
A fictional desktop sync client works on one office network but intermittently fails on another. Application retries hide whether DNS, IPv6, or transport limits are responsible.
Setup prerequisites
- Author synthetic packet traces and local IPv4/IPv6 endpoint doubles; use no third-party scanning or captured personal traffic.
Preceding work
Complete these dependencies, or supply their agreed outputs before taking this ticket.
- BNETDIAG-101 · Define a sanitized connection-attempt diagnostic record
- BNETDIAG-102 · Correlate DNS answers with selected connection addresses
- BNETDIAG-106 · Detect split-horizon DNS differences without leaking private zones
- BNETDIAG-103 · Implement bounded address-family fallback in the client fixture
- BNETDIAG-104 · Detect a packet-size black-hole pattern in synthetic traces
- BNETDIAG-105 · Separate proxy interception from origin TLS failure
- BNETDIAG-107 · Bound diagnostic retries independently of application retries
- BNETDIAG-108 · Compare fallback latency without hiding failed attempts
- BNETDIAG-109 · Generate a shareable network diagnosis bundle
Acceptance criteria
- Separate DNS, connect, TLS, and HTTP branches.
- Include evidence needed for each next step.
- Provide an inconclusive result when observations are insufficient.
Implementation constraints
- Every active check stays inside the authorized local lab.
Verification to include
- Follow the tree for a modeled family failure.
- Stop inconclusively for missing telemetry.
Deliverables
- Network troubleshooting guide.
Rollout and recovery
Keep the guide tied to implemented diagnostics and declared limits.
Value of the work
For the engineer: Practice layered network diagnosis and reproducible troubleshooting.
For the team: Produce precise support diagnostics that distinguish application defects from connectivity conditions.
Evidence boundaries
Outcome Evidence: Tests, patches, and runbooks are requested deliverables. They become Outcome Evidence only through a qualified Mission and immutable Evidence IDs.
Ownership Evidence: Independent adaptation must be observed under a declared verification policy and cite immutable Evidence IDs. Completing a planning ticket establishes no Ownership Evidence.