1. General Troubleshooting Process
Step 1: Identify the Problem Domain
End User’s Device: Check for outdated software, antivirus interference, or incorrect configurations.
Local Network Issues: Investigate connectivity, DNS resolution, and firewall settings.
Zscaler Client Connector: Verify installation, authentication status, and logs.
Connectivity to ZPA Cloud: Check internet connectivity and SSL/TLS settings.
App Connectors: Ensure proper configuration and health.
Target Application Network: Confirm application availability and ZPA configuration.
Step 2: Use Network Tools
Ping: Test basic connectivity to internal or external resources.
Traceroute: Map the network path and identify packet drops.
DNS Check: Verify FQDN resolution for the application or ZPA Cloud.
2. Problem Localization
Key Questions to Narrow Down the Issue
Who: Is the issue affecting a single user or multiple users? Specific to a device type or OS?
Where: Does the issue occur in the office, home, or public networks?
What: Is it affecting all applications, specific ones, or causing partial connection issues?
Data Collection
Access the user’s device (physically or remotely).
Use ZPA Admin Portal diagnostic logs, error messages, and performance data.
3. Common Issues and Detailed Solutions
Traffic Forwarding Issues
Symptom: The Zscaler Client Connector shows 'Captive Portal Failopen' or other error messages.
Solution:
Log in to the captive portal using the Client Connector interface.
Click 'Retry' in the Client Connector.
Verify network configurations and escalate if needed.
Authentication Failures
Symptoms: Errors like 'Sign in failed,' DNS issues, or certificate warnings.
Solution:
Verify IdP configuration on ZPA Admin Portal.
Ensure the user exists in IdP and is provisioned for ZPA.
Check DNS resolution for IdP.
Refresh IdP certificates if expired.
Application-Specific Problems
Symptoms: Users cannot access specific applications.
Solution:
Validate application configuration (hostname, port, and FQDN).
Check for policy blocks in ZPA Admin Portal and adjust as needed.
4. Using Tools Effectively
ZPA Admin Portal:
Health Dashboard: Check the status of applications, servers, and connectors.
Users Dashboard: Investigate 'Users Blocked by Policies' or authentication errors.
Applications Dashboard: Look into 'Access Errors' or 'Policy Blocks.'
Diagnostics Page: Filter logs by user, application, or connector.
Zscaler Diagnostics Tools:
Use tools like Zscaler Analyzer for log collection.
Access Zscaler Trust Site for known outages or incidents.
5. Escalation and Ticketing
Information to Collect
Customer details and contact information.
Issue subject: Concise problem description.
Detailed description: Symptoms, suspected causes, and attempted solutions.
Logs: ZPA Diagnostics, Zscaler Analyzer output, and system logs.
Priority level: Urgent, High, Medium, or Low.
Escalation Path
Roll back unsuccessful configuration changes.
Collect additional logs and escalate to experienced engineers.
Open a ZPA support case with all relevant data.
6. Best Practices for Efficient Troubleshooting
Verify basic connectivity (ping, DNS resolution) before deeper troubleshooting.
Check ZPA Cloud and IdP health for outages.
Validate user-specific policies and group memberships in ZPA Admin Portal.
Confirm App Connectors are properly resourced and not overloaded.
Use structured troubleshooting cycles: Formulate, test, and refine hypotheses.