Troubleshooting Guide

This guide is designed to be the best approach method of finding the issue as quickly and efficiently as possible. Even if a site is declared to be down, still follow the guide and see if you can verify that your caller is affected by that same outage. All it takes is to provide the right piece of information for Korcett to actually find and fix an issue.

Information Gathering

Always gather your information right off the bat. This is information you can be looking up while the caller is describing your issue. Don’t leave long periods of silence as you look up information. Ask questions like when the issue first started, how long has it been happening, and does it happen with all devices and connection methods or just isolated to one.

STEP 1: Get the First and last Name and notate

STEP 2: Get the Location name and have your caller describe the issue.

STEP 3: Look up the Location in KMC – Site Support to see if we support it.

STEP 4: Check to see if Korcett or ISP is Tier 1 and notate. (This is done at the Site Support Information Page)

If ISP = Korcett we Tier 1 and Tier 2 support

IF ISP = <NAME OF ISP> we are Tier 2 support only.

Tier 1: Mostly physical issues, indicated by a self assigned ip addresses and network cable unplugged issues. The resident is unable to communicate with our gateway and cannot reach our equipment. If they cannot connect to our equipment warm transfer them to the tier 1 support.

Tier 2: If they are pulling a valid ip address, we can help them. They can communicate with our gateway, and their connection is still not working. Other issues that we help with at these sites is strict nat issues, speed issues, and account issues.

STEP 5: Check to see if it’s a single port or multi-port site and notate.

Multi-Port = Multiple Ethernet drops to a unit, connects to IDF

Single-Port = Single Ethernet drop to a unit, connects to UDF

STEP 6: Check to see if the site is wired or wireless and notate.

STEP 7: Also notate if your caller is connecting wired or wireless. Ask them

“Are you connected via wireless or Ethernet connection?”

STEP 8: Check KMC – Residents to see if the site is listed try to pull up your caller’s account.

How to Search for Resident Accounts

How to Search for Location Accounts

Do we Support this location?

If Tier 1 for the site is the Internet Service Provider, we are Tier 2 support – If they are pulling a valid ip address, we can help them. They can communicate with our gateway, and their connection is still not working. Other issues that we help with at these sites is strict nat issues, speed issues, and account issues.
If the site is in Move-in mode, that means the system does not require an account to get online and we don’t troubleshoot for an account.
If both a and b above are true, meaning we don’t support the network nor accounts at a location, then we do not support the location at all. Also, if the location is not listed in KMC-Site Support, we do not support the location.

TICKETS are made for unsupported location.

Supported Locations
Block 36	Pointe at 3636

Unsupported Locations
1825 Place	Access West Apartments	Block on 23^rd
Block on 25^th East or West	Block on Rio Grand	Block Properties
Independence Place at Jefferson Park	Marlborough Square Apartments	Palace View Resort
University Club at College Station	Pedernales Condos

ISP Tier 1 – Tips & Tricks

Some minor troubleshooting can be done, like testing other ports or devices. And for these types of calls we need to check KMC and make sure they have an account and it has their devices on it before warm transferring to ISP.
When calling TWC first thing to do is ask agent for their name and EID#. That can be useful if they refuse to take the call.
If TWC refuses to take the call, ask to speak with a TWC supervisor AKA a “Brass Agent”.
TWC Tier 3 number – 866-701-0796 ; these agents have more access and usually know what bulk accounts are and how to find the customer’s information.
Note – be mindful of handle time. If warm transferring to the ISP is taking a long time and you are approaching 10 minutes on the call, you may then provide the customer with the appropriate contact information for the ISP and direct them to ISP support.

Unable to Create an Account

If a resident is unable to create an account please verify the following (Click on each to expand):

Does the site have authentication enabled?

If the site does not have authentication enabled then the resident will not be able to create an account. If the resident is being re-directed and the site has authentication disabled (move-in mode or passive) link does not work for our account.

Is the resident getting a valid IP/DNS?

Ensure the resident is using DHCP and does not have a static IP/DNS set. If they are not getting a valid IP or DNS proceed to “Unable to connect (not getting an IP)”

Are they getting an error message?

If it’s an error generated from the Korcett system (IE: NOT 404’s or a browser generated error) check in chat and escalate if no response.

Is their MAC address or E-mail address associated to another account?

If so, consolidate the MAC with the correct account.

Is the browser misconfigured (IE: Proxy, etc…)?

The easiest way to check this is to use a different browser. Resetting the browser to Defaults and/or clearing Cache/Cookies is also a good step.

Does the resident have a Firewall or Antivirus client that may be blocking the connection?

Disabling it or booting into Safe-Mode may be valid work-around.

If the resident is still unable to create an account despite following the above mentioned, we will need to escalate the ticket.

Unable to Login to Account (Priority 4)

f a resident is unable to login, it’s likely to be one of the following reasons:

Incorrect e-mail address – Verify the resident’s e-mail using KMC.
Invalid password – Reset the resident’s password to something generic like abcd1234 and have them try to login. If the resident still can’t login then try to login yourself with the new password to verify it went through.
The site does not have authentication enabled.
If the resident is getting an error that suggests an issue beyond a simple credentials problem, try from a different browser if possible.

If the resident is still unable to log in to their account despite the above mentioned, escalate to a korcett agent.

Constantly Being Redirected (Priority 3/4)

If a resident is constantly being asked to login to their KMC account it’s likely a local issue on their system. Check the following to verify this:

Ensure the resident has only one active network adapter (IE: Wired OR Wireless – Not both)
Make sure that the resident doesn’t have cookies disabled in their browser. Also, attempt to clear cache/cookies.
Test from another browser if possible.
Check for multiple accounts
Verify the account they are logging into has their MAC address associated to it (The device could be on someone else’s account).
Verify IP information (IP and DNS belonging to our Korcett) and try rebooting.
- How to find IP Address
- Bad IP Address = 169.254.x.x
- Good IP Address = 172.x.x.x (may be different, verify in the Site Support Information)
Verify nothing else is running on the system that could conflict (IE: Anti-Virus). Furthermore, test from another device associated to the residents account if possible.

If the resident is still getting redirected despite following the above mentioned, escalate to a Team-Lead or Tier 3 agent for review.

Not Receiving Upgraded Bandwidth (Priority 3) “Potential Priority 2”

If a resident upgraded their bandwidth tier but are not receiving at least 70% of the advertised speed then it could be due to several reasons:

Transaction was declined

Check the resident’s account in KMC. If the upgraded bandwidth tier does not show as the resident’s current tier then it’s likely the transaction was declined. Check with a Team-Lead or Tier 3 if this appears to be the case.

The MAC address they are connecting with is not associated to the account they purchased an upgrade for

Verify how the resident is connecting (IE: Via Ethernet directly from the wall, Personal Router (Wired/Wireless), etc…). If the resident is not going through a personal router then obtain their MAC address and look it up in KMC to see if it’s associated to the account that was upgraded. If the resident is connecting through a personal router obtain the MAC address of the router and verify it’s on the correct account.

NOTE – A router will have a WAN and LAN MAC address. It’s possible the resident added the LAN MAC to their account but the WAN MAC is on another account. The LAN and WAN MAC are normally the same but with the last octet a single value higher or lower

The resident is connecting through a personal router which may be hindering their speed

Have the resident test connectivity via Ethernet directly from the wall to see if their router was hindering their speeds.

The resident has other background applications that are using up bandwidth (IE: Torrents, FTP, Etc…)

Rebooting into Safe-Mode with Networking (Windows OS) is the easiest way to determine if this is the case.

The resident’s device may be configured in a way to prevents it from utilizing the bandwidth

Test connectivity from another device associated with the upgraded account to determine if this is the case. If the resident does not have another device on their account but has a room-mate it’s a good T/Sing step to temporarily add their room-mates device and test from that system to determine if it’s a device problem.

There may be a physical wiring issues

Check for high latency or packet-loss. Also test connectivity from a different wall-jack if possible. If this is a single-port property test connection speed directly from the UDF uplink.

If none of the above works we will need to escalate to Korcett as we do not have authorization to refund, or the access to look at the upgrade error codes or bandwidth usage charts.

Unable to modify a KMC account (Priority 4)

If a resident is unable to add/update information on their account it’s likely because one of the following:
A required field is not filled in (IE: Unit number)
The device they are using is not on the account they are trying to alter
The property does not have authentication enabled
Their bandwidth tier is set incorrectly

If neither of those appear to be the cause attempt to update the resident’s profile for them. If you are able to then this would indicate a local issue on the resident’s end (IE: Browser or even one on the above mentioned…). If you receive an error when trying to make changes to a resident’s account verify that the system is not in passive.

If the resident and you are unable to update their account despite following the above mentioned, escalate the ticket to a korcett agent.

Connection Drops (Priority 3) “Potential Priority 2”

If a resident is facing intermittent connection drops check the following:

Is the resident the only one facing problems or are their room-mates facing the same problem?

If the resident is facing issues but their room-mates aren’t then that would indicate an issue with the residents device or wall-jack in most cases. Test connectivity with the resident’s device from another wall-jack to determine if that’s the cause. If they are still facing issues then and it’s been determined to be an issue with the resident’s device then it’s out of our scope at that point.

If the resident is facing connection drop issues AND their room-mates are facing the same issues as well then it’s likely going to be either a physical problem (IE: UDF, IDF, Etc…), bandwidth congestion, a Korcett configuration issue (Server-side or switch-side), or rogue device. Proceed with the following:

Check whether the property is Multi-Port or Single-Port.
- If it’s Single-Port try rebooting the UDF. If they still face issues after doing so setup a truck-roll to investigate. Do NOT inform customer that you are sending a technician on-site. Use the following script: “I’m going to escalate to a senior technician to follow up with you on this issue.”
- If this is a multi-port property check with NOC to examine the bandwidth graphs to see if there is any congestion or flat-lining occurring. If so, escalate to NOC accordingly.

If the previously mentioned does not address the issue then we will need to escalate the ticket to Korcett for review.

Is the resident connecting through a personal router?

If the resident is connecting through a personal router it’s very possible that the router could be failing causing the drops. Have the resident try bypassing the router (IE: Plug directly into the wall) and see if drops occur. If no drops occur then it logical to assume the router is the cause of the drops. If the resident is still getting drops proceed with troubleshooting.

Is the resident connecting via Wired or Wireless?

If the resident is connecting via Wireless and facing issues then the AP may need to be rebooted or there may be some interference occurring. Check with another device or room-mates computer to see if they are facing the same issue. Verify that the resident is connecting to the correct SSID and is getting decent signal strength. If the signal strength is too low or multiple devices are facing issues, a truck-roll will need to be setup to investigate further. Do NOT inform customer that you are sending a technician on-site. Use the following script: “I’m going to escalate to a senior technician to follow up with you on this issue.”

If the APs on the site are managed by a controller (Ruckus, Ubiquiti, HP, etc..) then escalate the ticket to Korcett.

If the resident is connecting via Ethernet have them test from another wall-jack, another device, and another Ethernet cable to rule out a physical issue. If those have been ruled out proceed with troubleshooting.

Is this a single-port or multi-port property?

If this is a single-port property it’s possible that the UDF Switch may be problematic. This can be verified by testing from multiple wall-jacks or checking with room-mates to see if they are facing issues. If the drops are frequent have them connect directly to the UDF Uplink to see if a drop occurs. If the drops aren’t as frequent but it has been deemed as a possible UDF issue reboot the UDF if possible and see if that fixes the problem. If the UDF is not accessible or rebooting did not resolve the issue setup a truck-roll to investigate. Do NOT inform customer that you are sending a technician on-site. Use the following script: “I’m going to escalate to a senior technician to follow up with you on this issue.”

If this is a multi-port property notate and confirm other issues aren’t causing the disconnects before escalating.

Does this primarily occur during certain times of the day (IE: Peak Hours)?

If this occurs primarily during certain times of the day it’s likely going to be either an issue with bandwidth congestion or a process on the Korcett bogging the system down. Check the site’s resource graphs in OpenNMS to see if there is any congestion or flat-lining occurring. If so, escalate the ticket to Korcett. If there is no congestion proceed with troubleshooting.

Is the resident getting any packet-loss or latency?

If the resident is getting packet-loss exceeding 3% or latency exceeding 100ms then a truck-roll will be required to investigate in most cases (Assuming this is directly from the wall via Ethernet). Do NOT inform customer that you are sending a technician on-site. Use the following script: “I’m going to escalate to a senior technician to follow up with you on this issue.”

If the resident is not getting packet-loss or latency proceed with troubleshooting.

Does this only occur on a single device or multiple devices?

If this occurs on a single device only but not other devices then that would indicate an issue with that device. The only possible exception, in most cases, would be gaming consoles or devices that require a public IP. If it occurs on multiple devices then that would indicate a wiring issue, switch issue, or server issue.

If the cause for the connection drop can not be identified by utilizing the troubleshooting steps mentioned above or if there has been cause identified but it’s beyond a Tier 1/2 level, escalate the ticket to a Korcett agent.

Slow Speeds (Priority 3) “Potential Priority 2”

A resident can encounter speed issues for a number of reasons. The following should be done to troubleshoot such issues:

Has the resident purchased a bandwidth upgrade but is not getting those upgraded speeds?

If the resident has purchased an upgrade for their account but is still getting the same speeds they were getting before or worse, verify how the resident is connecting – Wired, Wireless, through a personal router, etc…

If they are connecting through a personal device like a router, verify that the device is on the correct account. It’s best to check in KMC to verify that the device is showing online and affiliated to their account. Same applies for if they are connected directly to the wall or via wireless – Verify the device is on the correct account and shows online in KMC.

If the resident’s device is on the correct account and their account shows their upgraded bandwidth tier but they are still not getting the upgraded speeds verify the site is not in passive mode. If the site is not in passive mode, proceed with troubleshooting.

Is the resident the only one facing problems or are their room-mates facing the same problem?

If the resident is facing issues but their room-mates aren’t then that would indicate an issue with the residents device or wall-jack in most cases (Unless they upgraded their bandwidth tier). Test connectivity with the resident’s device from another wall-jack to determine if that’s the cause. If they are still facing issues then and it’s been determined to be an issue with the resident’s device then it’s out of our scope at that point.

If the resident is facing slowness AND their room-mates are facing the same issue as well then it’s likely going to be either a physical problem (IE: UDF, IDF, Etc…), bandwidth congestion, a Korcett configuration issue (Server-side or switch-side), or rogue device. Proceed with the following:

Check whether the property is Multi-Port or Single-Port.
- If it’s Single-Port try rebooting the UDF. If they still face issues after doing so try testing their speed while connected directly to the UDF Uplink.
- If this is a multi-port property we will need to escalate to Korcett to investigate.

If the previously mentioned does not address the issue then we will need to escalate the ticket to Korcett.

Is the resident connecting through a personal router?

Is the resident connecting via Wired or Wireless?

If the APs on the site are managed by a controller (Ruckus, Ubiquiti, HP, etc..) then we will have to escalate to Korcett.

Is this a single-port or multi-port property?

Does this primarily occur during certain times of the day (IE: Peak Hours)?

Is the resident getting any packet-loss or latency?

Does this only occur on a single device or multiple devices?

If this occurs on a single device only but not other devices then that would indicate an issue with that device. The only possible exceptions, in most cases, would be gaming consoles, a devices that require a public IP, or if a device is on an upgrade account while the other devices are not. If it is a single device that is facing issues then make sure there are no background applications running that may be hindering speed (IE: Games, Torrents, etc…). Booting into Safe-Mode with Networking (Windows) would be the easiest way to rule this out. If it occurs on multiple devices then that would indicate a wiring issue, switch issue, or server issue.

Strict NAT (Priority 4)

What is Strict NAT?

Strict NAT can occur when a console attempts to communicate to the primary game-server on a specific port but is unable to receive a response on the specified port due to NATing occurring on a different port.

How does the Korcett address Strict NAT?

To address this issue, version 3 Korcetts utilize UPnP for XBOX devices while previous versions use a separate DHCP pool for XBOXs that are either public IPs or IPs NAT’ed with the XBOX ports as well.

How can we fix individual Strict NAT issues?

In the event a resident faces Strict NAT issues on their XBOX or PS3 we first must identify how the resident is connecting (IE: Straight to the wall via Ethernet or through a personal router).

If the resident is connecting through a router we can simply provide a Public IP to the router through KMC (The router will need to be power-cycled to get the new IP). If the resident still faces issues after this, and we’ve verified they are getting a public IP on their router then it’s going to be a configuration issue on the console or router which is out of our scope.

If the resident is facing Strict NAT issues on a XBOX that is connected directly to the wall and the site is NOT in Passive then this will need to be escalated to a Team-Lead or Tier 2-3 agent so that the device can be given a public IP. If it’s a PS3 you can provide a public IP to the device directly to the resolve the issue.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GIVE A PUBLIC IP DIRECTLY TO A XBOX VIA KMC!

This will conflict with existing DHCP configurations and likely cause additional connectivity issues on the device.

Unable to Access Certain Sites or Services (Priority 3/4) “Potential Priority 1”

If a resident is online and able to access the internet but is having issues with certain sites or services then it’s likely going to be a DNS issue, issue with the site or service, local computer issue, or firewall problem. We can eliminate each of these possibilities until we find the one that’s causing issues.

DNS

Follow these steps to determine if DNS is a cause of the issue:

Attempt to load the specified web-site on your computer. If it does not load it’s likely that the site is down or there is a DNS issue on the hosting providers end (Possible slow propagation).
From your system, ping the web-site the resident is having issues. You should receive replies with the site’s IP (Some site’s have multiple IP’s so the IP you get may differ from the one the resident was resolving to). Have the resident try to ping the IP you received replies from. If they can receive replies have them try to open the IP in their web-browser. If the page loads but did not load using the domain name (URL) then it’s a DNS issue. Clearing Cache and DNS Cache may resolve this.

Site/Service

To check whether a site or service is unavailable you can either try connecting from your computer or by using the site http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com

Local Computer

The easiest way to see if there is a local issue on a resident’s computer that is causing connectivity issues to a specific service or site is by testing from a room-mates system at the location. If there is no one else available to test this we can assume this is the case by eliminating the other possibilities.

Firewall

This will seldom be the cause of issue unless it’s with a service. Generally if it’s service related and it’s suspected that our firewall may be a cause – Providing the resident a public IP generally will correct this. Alternatively you can escalate to Korcett to reveiw.

An example of this being a cause of an issue is with certain TWC properties where SMTP (Port 25) is blocked due to spam issues which results in e-mail clients not being able to connect to the e-mail server via SMTP.

Unable to Connect (Getting an IP) (Priority 3/4) “Potential Priority 1 or 2”

If a resident is unable to access the internet but has a valid IP address the following can be done to troubleshoot the issue:

Check if other residents are having issues

If it’s a single device having issues proceed with troubleshooting.
If other residents are having issues as well and this is a Single-Port property it’s likely going to be an issue with the UDF. Powercycle the UDF and test connectivity OR have the resident connect to the UDF Uplink. If it’s a multi-port property and multiple residents are having issues then it’s likely going to be an issue on our end -we will need to escalate this to Korcett and a team lead will contact the NOC if after hours.

See what the resident can ping

Is the resident able to ping their Gateway? (Most sites will be 172.17.104.1)
If they are able to, then we know they are able to communicate with our Korcett server.
If they are not able to, then there is a communication issue between their device and our server. This could also signify an issue with their device. Proceed with other troubleshooting steps to determine the cause.
Is the resident able to ping an external IP? (IE: 8.8.8.8)
If they are able to, then we know they are able to communicate with the internet.
If they are not able to but are able to ping their Gateway, then there is likely a communication issue on our Korcett or possibly a proxy issue. Proceed with other troubleshooting steps to determine the cause
Is the resident able to ping a URL/Domain? (IE: google.com)
If they are able to, then we know they are able to communicate with the internet and resolve domain names. If they are still having issues accessing the internet then it’s likely a browser issue or some other configuration issue on their OS.
If they are not able to but are able to ping an external IP, then it’s going to be a DNS issue. Verify they don’t have a static DNS configured (Windows / Mac), try flushing their DNS cache, and verify that other residents are facing the same issue (If others are it could be an issue with DNS on our Korcett).

Verify the resident does not have a Static IP/DNS configured

Check to see if a Proxy is configured

Reset TCP/IP Settings

Reset Browser to Factory Defaults

Eliminate possible software conflicts

If the resident is using a Windows computer, it’s possible that an application running in the background may be causing connection issues. Having the resident reboot into Safe Mode with Networking (Press F8 while the computer is booting) is the easiest way to test if a background application was causing issues.

Check if other residents are having issues

If the resident is still facing issues and you aren’t able to pin-point the issue, check with a Team-Lead to see whether the issue should be escalated or deemed an issue with their device.

Unable to Connect (Not Getting an IP) (Priority 3/4) “Potential Priority 1 or 2”

If a resident is unable to access the internet and is not getting an IP address the following can be done to troubleshoot the issue:

Check if other residents are having issues

If it’s a single device having issues proceed with troubleshooting.
If other residents are having issues as well and this is a Single-Port property it’s likely going to be an issue with the UDF. Powercycle the UDF and test connectivity OR have the resident connect to the UDF Uplink. If it’s a multi-port property and multiple residents are having issues then it’s likely going to be an issue on our end -we will need to escalate this to Korcett and a team lead will contact the NOC if after hours.

See what the resident can ping

Is the resident able to ping their Gateway? (Most sites will be 172.17.104.1)
If they are able to, then we know they are able to communicate with our Korcett server.
If they are not able to, then there is a communication issue between their device and our server. This could also signify an issue with their device. Proceed with other troubleshooting steps to determine the cause.
Is the resident able to ping an external IP? (IE: 8.8.8.8)
If they are able to, then we know they are able to communicate with the internet.
If they are not able to but are able to ping their Gateway, then there is likely a communication issue on our Korcett or possibly a proxy issue. Proceed with other troubleshooting steps to determine the cause
Is the resident able to ping a URL/Domain? (IE: google.com)
If they are able to, then we know they are able to communicate with the internet and resolve domain names. If they are still having issues accessing the internet then it’s likely a browser issue or some other configuration issue on their OS.
If they are not able to but are able to ping an external IP, then it’s going to be a DNS issue. Verify they don’t have a static DNS configured (Windows / Mac), try flushing their DNS cache, and verify that other residents are facing the same issue (If others are it could be an issue with DNS on our Korcett).

Verify the resident does not have a Static IP/DNS configured

Check to see if a Proxy is configured

Reset TCP/IP Settings

Reset Browser to Factory Defaults

Eliminate possible software conflicts

Check if other residents are having issues

If the resident is still facing issues and you aren’t able to pin-point the issue, check with a Team-Lead to see whether the issue should be escalated or deemed an issue with their device.

Quick Tips

NEVER add a public IP address for an Xbox or 360 MAC address. If your caller is having problems with their Microsoft console, have them connect through a personal router, and then add the public IP address to that router.
If a person is complaining that they’re not getting the upgraded speeds they paid for, make sure you check that the MAC address on their device is actually on the upgraded account. If it is, submit a speed test template and follow that procedure.
If an issue is not present, or their connectivity is going in and out, submit a speed test template and follow that procedure

The Ticketing Template

This is the standard template you should fill out for EVERY Korcett ticket you file in Salesforce. Get all the information you can for the template. MAC and IP are mandatory information for every network related issue:

ContactWorks Agent:
Account:… ALWAYS VERIFY…
Contact number:
Bldg/ Apt:
Caller’s Connection (wired/wireless):
IP Address or reason why no IP Address: MANDATORY OR LIST WHY NO IP
MAC Address(es): MANDATORY OR LIST WHY NO MAC
Dates/Times of re-occurences:
Issue:

Troubleshooting Steps:

Verification/Conclusion:

Troubleshooting Guide

Information Gathering

Do we Support this location?

ISP Tier 1 – Tips & Tricks

Unable to Create an Account

Unable to Login to Account (Priority 4)

Constantly Being Redirected (Priority 3/4)

Not Receiving Upgraded Bandwidth (Priority 3) “Potential Priority 2”

Unable to modify a KMC account (Priority 4)

Connection Drops (Priority 3) “Potential Priority 2”

Slow Speeds (Priority 3) “Potential Priority 2”

Strict NAT (Priority 4)

Unable to Access Certain Sites or Services (Priority 3/4) “Potential Priority 1”

Unable to Connect (Getting an IP) (Priority 3/4) “Potential Priority 1 or 2”

Unable to Connect (Not Getting an IP) (Priority 3/4) “Potential Priority 1 or 2”

Quick Tips

The Ticketing Template

Leave a Reply Cancel reply