“Layer 1” refers to Layer 1 of the OSI model; the physical layer. The actual copper (and sometimes fiber) upon which your mighty signal is ferried back and forth by electrons or photons marching in coded groups to carry your ideas out into....right, moving on.
Let’s have a hypothetical: You walk into a room. The light is off. You turn the light switch on but the room stays dark. Do you immediately call the CP&L to demand a technician come replace your bulb and troubleshoot your home electrical grid TODAY! Or do you flip the switch again, just in case?
You flip the switch.
Layer 1 troubleshooting is flipping the switch. Yes...I know. It was working 10 minutes ago, it’s not working now, why would rebooting it make any difference at all? You have no idea how many times this step will either get you back online or provide a 100% accurate diagnosis. (Ok, it’s about 20% of the time).
For DSL, T1, Cable, and Ethernet-Over-Copper follow these steps before you call and (if nothing else) shave 10 minutes off the conversation. Layer 1 goes like this:
1. Find the device that connects you to the internet
2. Write down the state of all the indicator lights; on, off, flashing, color
3. re-seat or at least wiggle all the cables that are attached to the device
4. Physically turn off the power
5. WAIT 10 whole seconds
6. Turn it back on and after 30 seconds, write down the lights again
Same steps in detail:
1. Find the device. I know this really seems like I’m oversimplifying. Based on the kinds of calls I took and the minimum one-per-day where an End User said, “No, I don’t know where it is, can’t you just fix it?” it seems worth mentioning.
2. Write down which lights are doing what (or take an instagram shot, whatever works). You should be looking for lights indicating power, circuit synchronization, routing, and ethernet activity back to your network. F’r instance: Power, DSL, Internet, Ethernet. It depends on your modem/router/technology type but these are the four states that are important.
What? There are no lights on at all? Hey! You just figured out the first problem. Verify that your device is getting its fair helping of Mr. Tesla’s miraculous alternating current. You will be hailed as a genius.
3. Re-seat the cables. “Re-seat” means unplug the cable from its port, remove it, examine the terminating device for corrosion or damage, and plug it back in firmly until it is locked into place. “Wiggle” means wiggle the cable and listen to see if anything clicks or rattles. If something clicks, it wasn’t seated properly. So re-seat it.
Did the lights change? Are you up? You’re a genius.
In the case of cable modems, there is a bizarre trick (bordering on witchcraft) which I have seen restore connection: Unscrew the co-ax from your modem, check the fitting for...well...fitness, and then cover the end of the cable with your thumb* as though it were a garden hose spraying ones and zeroes all over your IDF closet. Do not poke a hole in your thumb with the center post. Screw the cable back in and proceed to step 4.
4. Turn off the switch if there is one, or unplug the power supply. Why? Lots of reasons; clearing a corrupted MLPPP session, reloading a possibly borked OS inside your modem. The main reason, though, is what happens if they end up dispatching a tech who shows up and reboots it one time and it works. He’s going to state that there was no problem with the equipment and his time is now billable. Boom. $140 out of your pocket. Just reboot the thing.
5. Yes. Wait a second. Take a breath. You just did some hard work there with all that re-seating and you deserve to kick back for a minute. Think about all the thanks you’re going to get if this one little act fixes the problem. Yep. You’re right: it’s “none.”
6. Plug it back in. Pay attention to the various lights as they come back up. There are modems that resync so fast they seem prescient and there are routers that take a full minute to acknowledge that they’ve been turned on, let alone check for sync. So give it a minute. When the lights have settled down, see if they are different than when you started. If you do get a solid sync and the internet light comes back on, check for surf.
No sync? Call support (see upcoming article on “phone support etiquette”). Sync but no surf? Call support.
It’s up and running? GENIUS! Call support anyway. Tell them your circuit dropped and you want a ticket number. Why?
Here’s where I get personal. The worst calls for me always started with, “...AND IT’S BEEN DOING THAT FOR A MONTH!!” Really? You’ve had unreliable service for a month and this is the first time you called? What are your users paying you for? You just yelled at me because you’re lazy or you’re lying. In either case, get ready for some hold music.
Whereas, “My site lost sync, rebooting fixed it but I have five tickets here in the last month where we were down long enough that we took a productivity hit.” is far more likely to get a response of “I’m very sorry to hear that. I’ll open a chronic☨ ticket and I’ll make sure our technician knows its an on-going issue.”**
The steps for Wireless Broadband are a little different:
1. Reboot it. Are you up? No?
2. Call support.
For satellite broadband there’s still another set:
1. Reboot it.
2. Is there a cloud over Atlanta? You’re hosed.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little demonstration. If there’s a positive response, there will be more.
Keep making Spiceworks more awesome.
* The construction of co-ax is such that normal EM radiation is ablated by the wire-braid shield. There are circumstances (Sunspots, powerful thunderstorm, passing Blade Runner car) that can overpower the shield and charge the whole length of cable with phantom power. Shorting the conductor in middle to the shield (the threaded ring) via your skin will dissipate that charge. Or at least that’s how it was explained to me. That same guy also believes in divining rods and watches Ghost Hunters.
** and then some hold music.***
☨ what! -cles of Narnia!
*** but not as much as if you start yelling at me. Seriously.