How to Use the OSI Model in Troubleshooting 163 IMPORTANCE OF NETWORK DOCUMENTATION After you've done all of the necessary troubleshooting to solve a problem, doc- umenting your troubleshooting activities is vitally important. It helps you to stay organized and perform those steps methodically. Also, when the same thing occurs again, you will be well prepared. HOW TO USE THE OSI MODEL IN TROUBLESHOOTING The OSI model fits into an overall troubleshooting strategy. Depending on the layer that you begin your troubleshooting, different techniques may be required to determine the root cause of the issue. The following are some of the purposes behind having a networking model: It provides a standard to utilize and reference, thereby helping to isolate network issues to specific layers of a protocol stack. It allows to identify the types of components that may be involved in an issue, thus helping in troubleshooting the problem. Open standards enable the consumer to patronize multiple vendors.