Vault Support Questions

To ensure the best support experience, make sure you can answer these questions before contacting Vault Support.

General Questions to Help Define the Problem

1. How can you most efficiently define the problem using the smallest number of words?
2. What information do you need to solve the problem?
3. What information do you have?
4. What are the benefits of solving the problem?
   • Is it worth solving?
   • Aside from the technical aspects, what are the business implications?
5. What is not known? (Is there a bigger problem for which you do not have sufficient information about yet?)
6. What do you not yet understand? (What information do you need?)
7. What is NOT the problem? (Document solutions which you have already tried.)
8. Can you provide precise instructions on how to reproduce this problem? (If needed, can you provide the files/backup vault as well?)
   • Would drawing a diagram of the problem help explain it to someone else?
   • Would taking a screenshot of the problem help explain it to someone else?
   • Would recording a movie of the problem with Jing help explain it to someone else?
9. What cannot be changed (e.g., OS, SQL, Vault, time-constraints, deadlines)?

Supportability Questions

1. Have you checked Autodesk.com for any relevant Vault or CAD client hotfixes that address your issue?
   • Vault
   • Inventor
   • AutoCAD
   • For other products, see Product Support.
2. Have you searched for the error message on Google or Bing?
3. Is the problem reproducible after restarting the server or the client machine?
4. Do you have a maintenance plan you are using?
5. Did the issue suddenly start or has it always been like this?

   When did the issue start? What changed? Common suspects are: Windows Updates, Configuration Changes (client/server), Group Policy changes, and Network Configuration changes (e.g., driver settings).

6. Are you running a supported environment? Refer to the Vault System Requirements for your Vault release. Make sure your environment meets the requirements for:
   • Operating system version and language
   • SQL version and language
   • Vault Server version and language.
   • CAD client version and language.
   Note: All languages must be the same. For example, Vault client, the Operating System, and SQL must all be the same language.
7. Have you uninstalled and reinstalled all components?
8. Are the client and server all up-to-date with maintenance patches?
   • Have you installed all of the latest updates on the server?

     Are there special installation instructions in the readme? Was the installation performed accordingly?

   • Have you installed the latest updates to the CAD applications?

     Are there special installation instructions in the readme? Was the installation performed accordingly?

   • Have you installed the latest updates to the Vault Client?

     Are there special installation instructions in the readme? Was the installation performed accordingly?

9. Can you reproduce the problem if you restore the backup to another server?

Troubleshooting Questions

1. Is it a server or client issue?

   If a client issue, does it affect one, multiple, or all clients?

2. Can you reproduce the issue if you create a new Vault on the same server?
3. Is the issue reproducible in the latest release?
4. Does it happen if you are NOT logged into Vault?
5. Can you reproduce the issue when you log in as another Vault user using Windows Authentication?
6. Can you reproduce the issue when you log in as another Vault user without using Windows Authentication?
7. Did you try logging into Vault as a user with a different level of permissions?
8. Is a Proxy Server used and is it correctly configured?
9. Did you try deleting the local Vault User Profile?
10. Did it install from the media or network deployment? If network deployment, is it possible the deployment was corrupt?
11. Can the problem be reproduced when Anti-Virus and the Firewall are disabled on the client?
12. Can the problem be reproduced when Anti-Virus and the Firewall are disabled on the server?
13. Can the problem be reproduced when Anti-Virus and the Firewall are disabled on both the client and the server?
14. Can you provide all of the log files?
    • vlogs
    • ADMSConsole logs
    • JobProcessor logs
    • Event Viewer logs
15. Lastly, and most importantly, have you questioned all assumptions?