How to troubleshoot CAN bus communication

I am trying to connect ICP CON I-7565 (a USB-to-CAN interface) to a custom-made device (supporting CAN 2.0B, proved to work with a PCL-841 card). Although I think I have configured the baud rate and acceptance code/mask correctly, I can't see any CAN messages coming from the device (ICP provides a tool that should allow me to send and receive CAN messages).

The I-7565 might be the wrong interface for me. I might have misconfigured it, or it is simply broken. Or I am just doing something wrong out of my ignorance. I don't think anyone can help me with my specific problem, so I am rather asking for general information on how are problems with CAN bus identified and analyzed. In TCP/IP, for example, you would call ping, you'd recheck your IP address, gateway settings, etc. What do you do for CAN communication?

Additional information:

• OS: Windows 7 64-bit
• Connector: DE-9 with standard wiring (pin 2, 3, and 7)
• The I-7565 comes with a switchable 120 ohm termination resistor (tried with and without)

Finally, I tried to work with a different USB-to-CAN interface from a different manufacturer, and it worked like a charm. My old interface was either broken or incompatible for reasons unknown. How to troubleshoot CAN bus communication:

• read the manual to your USB-to-CAN interface
• install the driver of your interface device and make sure it is working (check Device Manager. Depending on the type of your device, you will see a new COM port added or new USB controller)
• your device should be shipped with it's own test/analysis software (they might call it utility or similar). Run it and check if it can connect to your device
• CAN communication uses three wires that are referred to as High, Low and Ground and is usually connected with DE-9 connectors where High is linked to pin n. 7, Low to pin number 2 and Ground to pin number 3 or 5. Make sure this is connected correctly on both your USB interface and CAN device you want to communicate with
• set properties of your connection. These are most of all: CAN type (2.0A or 2.0B) baud rate, acceptance code and acceptance mask
• if you've done all of this and still you can't see any CAN messages arriving in your utility program, check with a different USB-to-CAN interface or find some other way to test if your device is actually emitting CAN messages and your USB interface is in fact able to receive them (this was actually my case).