[ultrablue]

I suppose that in terms of modules interacting, dependencies, information flow, etc. there are analogs in car mechanics.

Troubleshooting is always the same, regardless of the technology: Look at the symptoms. Observe the system to see what it's actually doing. Analyze any residue left behind as the system operates/fails. Start with the most obvious potential sources of error. Eliminate things as you go. What's left at the end is the root cause.

However, keep in mind that computers are vastly more complex than engines. Add networking and it gets even more complicated. One way to think of it is that a computer running a LAMP stack (as an example) has hundreds of 'engines' all interacting with each other. The result is that what's wrong with one 'engine' affects the others in ways that aren't always obvious.

[billphipps]

Would you suggest learning networking a better more relevant alternative? or any other "methodologies", "technologies", or "computer systems"?