> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cyberup24.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Troubleshooting Approach

When something goes wrong with your LARK appliance, the fastest path to resolution is a consistent, methodical approach. Rather than jumping straight to a specific fix, take a moment to assess the system's current state, verify the physical hardware, and identify which failure category matches what you're seeing. This page walks you through that process and points you to the right troubleshooting topic for your situation.

## Step 1: Check system status

If the appliance is reachable, your first stop is the admin UI. The system status page gives you a real-time overview of running services, pod health, storage utilization, and recent errors. Look for any red or degraded indicators — these will often name the affected component directly and save you significant diagnostic time.

If the admin UI is not reachable, treat this as a boot or network failure and start with the hardware checks below before proceeding to a specific topic.

## Step 2: Verify the hardware

Before investigating software or services, rule out the most common physical causes of LARK failures:

* **Management/network module** — Confirm the module is fully installed and seated in its slot. This is the single most common cause of boot failures. A partially seated module can prevent the system from completing its startup sequence.
* **Power connection** — Verify the power cable is fully connected at both the appliance and the wall outlet. The LARK requires a stable 110V/120V AC supply. Check that the outlet is live and that no breaker has tripped.
* **Indicator LEDs** — Note the state of any status LEDs on the chassis. Unexpected patterns (solid amber, rapid flashing) can indicate a hardware fault before you have access to any console output.

## Step 3: Identify the failure category

Once you've gathered basic information, match your symptoms to one of the categories below and follow the corresponding troubleshooting page.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Boot Failures" icon="power-off" href="/troubleshooting/system-fails-to-boot">
    The appliance does not complete its startup sequence, shows no output, or remains unresponsive after power-on.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Power Issues" icon="bolt" href="/troubleshooting/power-supply-issues">
    The appliance loses power unexpectedly, fails to power on, or shows signs of an unstable or inadequate power supply.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Performance Degradation" icon="gauge" href="/troubleshooting/performance-degradation">
    The appliance is running but services are slow, captures are dropping, or response times are unusually high.
  </Card>

  <Card title="BIOS / POST Failures" icon="microchip" href="/troubleshooting/bios-post-failures">
    The system halts before reaching the operating system, or error codes appear during the power-on self-test.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Keycloak Lockout" icon="lock" href="/troubleshooting/keycloak-admin-lockout">
    You are unable to log in to the LARK admin interface because the Keycloak admin account is locked or credentials are unknown.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Drive Failure" icon="hard-drive" href="/troubleshooting/hard-drive-failure">
    The admin UI reports storage errors, services are failing to write data, or the system is warning about disk health.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pod Errors" icon="circle-xmark" href="/troubleshooting/pod-errors">
    One or more Kubernetes pods are in a failed, pending, or crash-looping state and a service is not operating correctly.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Escalation Criteria" icon="arrow-up-right-from-square" href="/troubleshooting/escalation-criteria">
    Your issue isn't covered here, or it keeps recurring. Learn what to gather and when to contact support.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  When working through any troubleshooting page, note the steps you take and the output you observe. This record will be essential if you need to escalate the issue to support.
</Tip>
