Lesson 11: Implementing Operational Procedures (file 20)

You are trying to troubleshoot a problem over the phone and need to get advice from your manager. How should you handle this with the customer?

Advise the customer that you will put him or her on hold while you speak to someone else, or arrange to call the customer back.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD)

Metal and plastic surfaces can allow a charge to build up. This can discharge if a potential difference is formed between the charged object and an oppositely charged conductive object. This electrical discharge can damage silicon chips and computer components if they are exposed to it.

acceptable use policy (AUP)

Policy that governs employees' use of company equipment and Internet services. ISPs may also apply AUPs to their customers.

asset tag

Practice of assigning an ID to assets to associate them with entries in an inventory database.

risk analysis

Process for qualifying or quantifying the likelihood and impact of a factor.

configuration management

Process through which an organization's information systems components are kept in a controlled state that meets the organization's requirements, including those for security and compliance.

Change management

Process through which changes to the configuration of information systems are implemented as part of the organization's overall configuration management efforts.

incident report

An analysis of events that can provide insight into how to improve response and support processes in the future.

What role do barcodes play in managing inventory?

Back of Flashcard 26 of 37 An inventory is a list of assets stored as database records. You must be able to correlate each physical device with an asset record by labeling it. A barcode label is a good way of doing this.

ticketing system

Database software designed to implement a structured support process by identifying each case with a unique job ticket ID and with descriptive fields to record how the issue was resolved.

When you arrive at a customer location to service a network printer, the user is upset because the printer is not working and therefore he cannot submit his reports on time. How should you approach this user?

Demonstrate empathy with the customer's situation, use active listening skills to show that you understand the importance of the issue, and make the customer confident that you can help. Then use closed-questioning techniques to start to diagnose the problem.

surge suppressor

Device that protects electrical devices against the damaging effects of a power surge or spike.

splash screen

Displaying terms of use or other restrictions before use of a computer or app is allowed.

You are working on the training documentation for help-desk agents. What should you include for dealing with difficult situations?

Do not argue with customers and/or be defensive. Avoid dismissing customer problems, and do not be judgmental. Try to calm the customer and move the support call toward positive troubleshooting diagnosis and activity, emphasizing a collaborative approach. Do not disclose experiences via social media outlets.

standard operating procedure (SOP)

Documentation of best practice and work instructions to use to perform a common administrative task.

network topology diagram

Documentation showing how network nodes are connected by cabling or how they are logically identified and connected, such as in IP networks.

In which atmospheric conditions is the risk of ESD highest?

During cool, dry conditions when humidity is low. When humidity is high, the static electricity can dissipate through the moisture present in the air.

True or False? You should fit an antistatic wrist strap over your clothing as this is most likely to retain a charge.

False. The conductive path will occur through your fingers as you touch electronic components. The stud in the wrist strap must make contact with your skin to drain the charge.

You are updating a deployment checklist for installing new workstation PCs. What are the principal environmental hazards to consider when choosing a location?

Heat and direct sunlight, excessive dust and liquids, and very low or high humidity. Equipment should also be installed so as not to pose a topple or trip hazard.

What is the purpose of a KB?

A knowledge base (KB) is a reference to assist with installing, configuring, and troubleshooting hardware and software. KBs might be created by vendors to support their products. A company might also create an internal KB, populated with guidelines, procedures, information from service tickets, and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs).

You are troubleshooting a print problem, which turned out to be caused by user error. The user is not confident that the problem is solved and wants more reassurance. You have already explained what the user was doing wrong in some detail. What should you do?

Run through the print process step-by-step to show that it works. It is very important to get a customer's acceptance that a problem is closed.

knowledge base (KB)

Searchable database of product FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), advice, and known troubleshooting issues. The Microsoft KB is found at support.microsoft.com.

What care should you take when lifting a heavy object?

The main concern is damaging your back. Lift slowly and use your legs for power, not your back muscles.

Under-voltage event

When the power that is supplied by the electrical wall socket is insufficient to allow the computer to function correctly. Under-voltage events are long sags in power output that are often caused by overloaded or faulty grid distribution circuits or by a failure in the supply route from electrical power station to a building.

grounded

Wire that provides a return path for electrical current as a safety feature; if an electrical connection short circuits into the metal chassis, a ground wire ensures that the current flows to ground rather than electrocuting someone handling the faulty device.

What are the two main types of network topology diagrams?

You can create diagrams to show the physical topology or the logical topology. The physical topology shows how nodes are connected by cabling. The logical topology shows IP addresses and subnets/VLANs. There are lots of other types of network topology diagrams, of course, but physical and logical are the two basic distinctions you can make. It is best practice not to try to create a diagram that shows both as this is likely to reduce clarity.

uninterruptible power supply (UPS)

Battery-powered device that supplies AC power that an electronic device can use in the event of power failure.

fuse

Circuit breaker designed to protect the device and users of the device from faulty wiring or supply of power (overcurrent protection).

Active listening

Communication technique to ensure that you capture all the information that the other person is "transmitting," including nonverbal cues such as tone of voice or gestures. There are various active-listening techniques for ensuring that you are "getting the right message," such as summarizing, reflecting (matching the speaker's communication style), interpreting, and verbal attends (such as "Uh-huh." or "I see.").

Power failure

Complete loss of building power.

Escalation

In the context of support procedures, incident response, and breach-reporting, escalation is the process of involving expert and senior staff to assist in problem management.

material safety data sheet (MSDS)

Information sheet accompanying hazardous products or substances that explains the proper procedures for handling and disposal.

asset

Thing of economic value. For accounting purposes, assets are classified in different ways, such as tangible and intangible or short term and long term. Asset management means identifying each asset and recording its location, attributes, and value in a database.

What are the principal characteristics of a surge protector?

This is a circuit designed to protect connected devices from the effect of sudden increases or spikes in the supply voltage and/or current. Surge protectors are rated by clamping voltage (low values are better), joules rating (higher values are better), and amperage (the maximum current that can be carried).

You are writing a proposal to improve a company's current support procedures with a ticketing system. You have identified the following requirements for information that each ticket should capture. Following the CompTIA A+ objectives, what additional field or data point should be captured? User information Device information Problem description/Progress notes/Problem resolution Categories Escalation levels

This list contains no means of recording the severity of the ticket. This field is important for prioritizing issues.

The contract ended recently for several workers who were hired for a specific project. The IT department has not yet removed those employees' login accounts. It appears that one of the accounts has been used to access the network, and a rootkit was installed on a server. You immediately contact the agency the employee was hired through and learn that the employee is out of the country, so it is unlikely that this person caused the problem. What actions do you need to take?

You need to create an incident report, remove or disable the login accounts, isolate the infected server and possibly any user computers that communicate with the server, and remove the rootkit from the server. In terms of wider security policies, investigate why the temporary accounts were not disabled on completion of the project.