Hardware Troubleshooting & Escalation Assistant
Diagnose hardware issues and route escalations with structured decision trees
What You Can Do
This skill provides systematic hardware diagnostics workflows that help you quickly identify root causes of hardware failures, classify incident severity, and make data-driven escalation decisions. It guides you through troubleshooting trees for common hardware categories—servers, networking, storage, client devices—while generating incident reports and escalation recommendations. You'll reduce MTTR and escalation delays by following evidence-based diagnostic paths instead of guesswork.
Features
Routes you through device-specific diagnostics for servers, network hardware, storage, desktops, laptops, and peripherals
Prompts for environmental factors, error codes, logs, and timeline to narrow root cause quickly
Implements fault trees that branch on test results to pinpoint hardware failures vs. configuration issues
Rates incidents on business impact and complexity to recommend support tier (L1 → L2 → L3 → vendor)
Produces structured reports with diagnosis, evidence, reproduction steps, and escalation justification
Pre-formatted contact information and technical summaries for OEM/vendor support handoff
References common hardware issues, known bugs, and resolution patterns for rapid triage
Example Output
Example 1: Server Disk Failure Triage
Hardware Category: Server (Dell PowerEdge R750)
Likely Component: RAID controller drive (Slot 2)
Diagnostic Path:
1. ✓ Check iDRAC logs → Predictive Failure on drive 0:0:2
2. ✓ Verify RAID status → Array degraded, one drive failed
3. ✓ Test replacement drive → New drive recognized by controller
Severity: L2 High (service degraded, array rebuild in progress)
Escalation: Local resolution (replace drive, initiate rebuild)
Example 2: Network Switch Escalation
Device: Cisco Catalyst 9300-48T (Port Gi0/0/1)
Symptom: Port flapping every 30–60 seconds, CRC errors in logs
Diagnosis: Transceiver module SFP-10G-SR failed
(Cable tested OK, upstream switch clean, no config changes)
Severity: L3 Critical (40% packet loss on VLAN 100)
Recommendation: Escalate to Cisco immediately
Action: RMA request for SFP module, expedited replacement
Example 3: Client Device Worksheet
Laptop: HP EliteBook 850 (Warranty: Active)
Symptom: Unexpected shutdown after 5–10 minutes (no BSOD)
Ruled Out:
✓ Thermal throttling (50–65°C normal)
✓ Storage failure (SMART healthy)
✓ Malware (clean scan)
✓ BIOS issue (latest version)
Next Steps:
- Check power delivery (battery diagnostics)
- Monitor kernel logs during failure
- If persistent → Contact HP via warranty
Severity: L1 Medium (user productivity blocked)
What's Included
- `SKILL.md`: Full hardware diagnostics workflow with decision trees, triage logic, and escalation criteria
- Triage decision tree templates for each hardware category (servers, networking, storage, client devices, peripherals):
- Incident report template with severity assessment and escalation routing:
- Hardware troubleshooting checklist (cabling, power, BIOS/firmware, environmental factors):
- Vendor escalation templates with contact info placeholders and RMA request format:
- Known hardware failure patterns database (disk wear-out cycles, thermal throttling, network stack issues):
- Escalation severity scoring rubric (business impact × complexity = support tier):
Who It's For
- IT support specialists (L1/L2/L3 technical support) handling hardware tickets
- System administrators managing on-premises server and network infrastructure
- Incident response engineers resolving hardware-related production outages
- Network administrators troubleshooting connectivity and switch issues
- Technical support desk staff triaging end-user hardware complaints
Best For
- Rapid root cause diagnosis during production incidents
- Escalation decision-making (resolve locally vs. engage vendor)
- Hardware failure troubleshooting (storage, networking, server subsystems)
- Pre-escalation data collection for vendor support handoff
- Incident documentation and postmortem analysis
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