Hi eltikpad,
Resolving issues, is not guesswork, or taking stabs in the dark, its a process that is well known and works, from my experience in the software/systems world.
First step is not trying various solutions for the OPs output, which is merely an opinion at the start.
but to do a very basic requirements analysis.
a. identify all the users/devices involved
b. identify the traffic they need.
The second step is to understand the intent of the network system and the equipment involved, and thus a network diagram with sufficient detail ( subnets etc) is worth a 1000 words!!
The last step is to provide FACTS, evidence of what the current state of the configuration is at.
This also shows the reader, more of the authors intent.
With a clear understanding of what traffic needs to be accomplished, how the network is cobbled together and seeing what is currently in place, troubleshooting the issue is far easier. We can validate the current setup based on facts and turn the original opinion into a plan and course of action.
One can also ensure that any advice, is based on solving the issue from the "whole" perspective not juss focusing on any particular config line,,,,,,,,,( since the config is very much interrelated ).
IMHO, new users should be directed to read a brief introduction prior to posting on the forum. They should then be encouraged to write their post, which would be reviewed by mods, and either approved and released into the wild, or returned stating what areas need improvement to meet a basic standard."
The brief introduction should have embedded links to topics ( like how to export a config, sources for free networking diagram apps, examples of each of the above steps, etc. )
In this concept, new posters are educated on how to communicate effectively to get their issues resolved in an efficient and accurate manner. If unorganized, they learn to organize their thoughts into a coherent post, containing the necessary information - it would not surprize me if some solved their own issues prior to posting, going through their own, what was my plan to begin with!
For those assisting, it is much easier to see errors, understand the intent of the network, see the issues at their core and finally to come up with both a reasonable solution, that works within the totality of the traffic flows occurring, and also be able to spend more time on explanation. It would not surprize me to see the length of threads drastically reduced. In, addition, most posts would get faster attention. Nothing slows down a response more than an incomplete or incoherent post etc........ Thus the experience for all would be vastly improved.
After doing such work for 18 years, its a no-brainer. It boggles my mind that a firm that is heavily involved in software processes, takes such a laissez-faire attitude with ensuring their forum works well for their customers. Coding and testing is based on a rigourous, disciplined set of processes and engineers going through years of training to execute these processes. The only conclusion I can think of that makes sense is that the head of forum development must be an ARTS major. Certainly was never involved in instruction/education, or engineering. 
