Things to include when providing a fault report:
  1. Describe what you were trying to do
    e.g. "Trying to get the web page http://uluru.ee.unsw.edu.au/~tim/dependable/fault_report.html"
  2. Describe your system configuration (i.e. how you were trying to do it)
    e.g. operating system (e.g. "Windows XP") and web browser model and version (e.g. "Internet Explorer version 6.0.2800" - most Windows apps provide version numbers under the "Help" menu under "About appname")
  3. Provide information that may help people diagnosing the fault check logs or correlate your problem with the service experienced by others.
    e.g.:
    • When did you first detect the problem? (Be sure to state your time zone if the access is international.)
    • When (if ever) did you last successfully complete this operation? (Hopefully you have tried the action multiple times, to gain confidence that the fault wasn't transitory (e.g. due to transmission noise).)
    • Does the problem recur every time that you attempt this operation?
    • Is the problem readily reproduced?
    • What was the IP address of the machine that you were trying to do this from?
  4. Describe what problem you experienced
    e.g. "HTTP 404 - File not found"
    Under Microsoft Windows, to copy the screen to the clipboard (for later insertion into a fault report), press the "Prnt Scrn" key on your keyboard. To copy the current window to the clipboard, press Alt+"Prnt Scrn".

  5. What functionality can you achieve?
    e.g.:
    • Can you access other web pages on the same server?
    • Can you access web pages on other servers?
    • Can you connect to the same server in other ways, e.g. ping, traceroute, telnet?
      Demonstrate your knowledge of networking by using other tools to diagnose the problem, e.g. Can you trace the route to the host? Can you telnet to port 80 on the host?
  6. Provide a reliable mechanism for return communication.
    e.g. if your email isn't working, then don't provide an email address.
Accuracy of your fault report is important, e.g. check that the URL that you typed in is actually the one that you intended & that your fault report indicates the URL that you used, rather than the URL that you intended.