Some the issues you might face when accessing the NetScaler appliance for the first time are:

• You cannot access the NetScaler appliance through the console

• The Network Interface link light is off

• The Network Interface link light is on, but you still can't access the appliance

The following section in this article describes how to troubleshoot each of these issues.

You cannot access the NetScaler appliance through the console

Complete the following procedure to troubleshoot this issue:

1. Check the console cable and its connectors for any physical damages. If you notice any damage in the cable, contact Citrix Customer Service or your Citrix Sales Representative to get the cable replaced.

2. Ensure that the cable connectors are properly plugged into the appliance and the server.

3. Verify that you are using the Component Object Model (COM) port for the operating system. There can be multiple COM ports on the appliance.

4. Ensure that the following settings are made for the COM port:

• • Baud rate (Bits per second): 9600
  • Data bits: 8
  • Parity: None
  • Stop bits: 1
  • Flow control: None

The preceding values are the default values in a Windows operating system. The following screen shot displays the COM port settings:

The Network Interface link light is off

After connecting the Ethernet cable, if you notice that the Network Interface link light is still off, complete the following procedure to access the appliance:

1. Ensure that the Ethernet cable or patch cord is working properly.

2. If the interface type is RJ-45, ensure that the RJ-45 port is properly connected to the interface.

3. If the NetScaler appliance has an SFP port, ensure that the SFP connector module is plugged into the appliance properly. Additionally, only use an SFP connector module provided by Citrix.

4. Ensure that the switch port connected to the NetScaler appliance is set to Auto Negotiate mode.

5. Ensure that you have configured the NetScaler interface is set to AUTO mode. You can verify this by accessing the NetScaler appliance through its console. By default, the NetScaler interface is set to AUTO mode.
 

The Network Interface link light is on, but you still can't access the appliance

1. Ensure that the NetScaler appliance and switch are set to Full Duplex or Half Duplex mode. You must set the same mode on both the appliances.

2. Ensure that the interface or port is not disabled on either the NetScaler or the switch.

3. If the switch connected to the NetScaler appliance is configured with a virtual LAN, try to connect the NetScaler appliance to a trunk port and check if the appliance is accessible.

4. By default, the NetScaler IP (NSIP) address is set to 192.168.100.1 and the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 on a NetScaler appliance. If you have changed these values, verify that you are using the correct IP address to access the appliance. You can use the LCD panel of the appliance to confirm this.

5. When running the ping command to access the NetScaler appliance, ensure that the ping packets are not blocked by any appliance in the path. If we have Netscaler console access then we can run netscaler dump from the shell mode to confirm if packets are reaching the Netscaler as shown below:

# nstcpdump.sh host client-IP and host NSIP

(Repace the client-IP and NSIP with appropriate IP's in your environment)

6. If you are still unable to access the NetScaler appliance, which is connected to another subnet, by using the ping command and then ensure that the NetScaler appliance and router have appropriate routes. Below are the recommended settings for the NetScaler interface and the results of these settings:

NS fc(Req) NS Autoneg SW fc SW Autoneg NS Result(Actual) SW Result
------------------------------------------(oper)---------(oper)
OFF            X         X      ON         OFF             OFF
RXTX          ON       OFF      ON         OFF             OFF
RXTX          ON      RXTX      ON        RXTX            RXTX
RXTX          ON      RXTX     OFF         OFF            RXTX
RXTX         OFF         X      ON         OFF             OFF
RXTX         OFF      RXTX     OFF         OFF            RXTX
ON            ON       OFF      ON        RXTX             OFF
ON            ON      RXTX      ON        RXTX            RXTX
ON            ON      RXTX     OFF        RXTX             OFF
ON           OFF         X      ON        RXTX             OFF
ON           OFF      RXTX     OFF        RXTX            RXTX

Note: If you still cannot access the appliance, contact Citrix Technical Support for further assistance.