# Troubleshoot a network connectivity or performance problem

A structured, layer-by-layer diagnosis plan with the commands to run, what each result means, and the likely fix.

- Topic: Software Development
- Framework: Chain-of-Thought
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Customer Support, Fill-in Template, Step-by-step
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/troubleshoot-a-network-connectivity-or-performance-problem

## Prompt

```text
Help me troubleshoot a network problem.

**Symptom:** [what is failing - e.g. "users in one VLAN can't reach the file server", "VPN drops every 20 minutes", "slow access to a cloud app"]
**Who and what is affected:** [one user / one site / everyone; specific apps or services]
**When it started and what changed:** [recent changes, updates, new devices, config pushes]
**Environment:** [on-prem, AWS, Azure, hybrid; key devices and vendors - firewalls, switches, SD-WAN, VPN, ZTNA/SASE]
**What I've already checked:** [results so far]
**Output I can share:** [PASTE ping, traceroute, logs, or config snippets with IPs, hostnames, and secrets masked]

Work through it like this:
1. Restate the problem and the scope, and list the most likely causes ranked by probability given my evidence.
2. A step-by-step diagnosis from the bottom up (physical/link, IP and routing, DNS, firewall and security policy, application), with the exact commands or console checks for my platform and what a good vs. bad result looks like.
3. For each likely cause, the fix and how to confirm it worked.
4. Security checks: whether a policy, certificate, or access rule change could explain it, and fixes that do not weaken security (no "allow any" rules as a permanent fix).
5. Rollback steps for any change, and what to monitor afterward.

Only reason from the evidence I give. Mark assumptions clearly and tell me what extra output would narrow it down. Remind me to follow my change-control process before touching production.
```

## What to fill in

- one user / one site / everyone; specific apps or services
- recent changes, updates, new devices, config pushes
- results so far

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.