The vSphere troubleshooting methodology
In February 2011, VMware released a technical whitepaper titled Performance Troubleshooting for vSphere 4.1 available at http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/10179. This document provides a large quantity of information as it pertains to troubleshooting not just storage but also CPU, memory, and network from within a vSphere environment and I highly recommend you read it for yourself. Although the current version of vSphere has changed since its publication, the methodologies, workflows, and recommendations in the document still stand today.
That being said, I will highlight some of the key points of the document as well as explain the importance of applying a troubleshooting methodology within our own environments.
When developing any type of process or workflow, it is very important to start with a broad and holistic view of the overall goal, and the same holds true with a troubleshooting methodology. Although you may find as you move through...