Table Of Contents
Using the Error Message Decoder to Search for System Messages
Searching for System Messages in Online Documentation
Error Message Traceback Reports
System Message Overview
This publication lists and describes the Cisco IOS system error messages for the Catalyst 6500 series switches. The system software sends these error messages to the console (and, optionally, to a logging server on another system) during operation. Not all system error messages indicate problems with your system. Some messages are purely informational, while others may help diagnose problems with communications lines, internal hardware, or the system software.
This publication also includes error messages that appear when the system fails.
This chapter contains the following sections:
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Using the Error Message Decoder to Search for System Messages
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System Message Structure
System error messages are structured as follows:
FACILITY-SEVERITY-MNEMONIC: Message-text
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The facility code consists of two or more uppercase letters that indicate the facility to which the message refers. A facility can be a hardware device, a protocol, or a module of the system software. Table 1-1 lists the system facility codes.
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The severity level is a single-digit code from 0 to 7 that reflects the severity of the condition. The lower the number, the more serious the situation. Table 1-2 lists the message severity levels.
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The MNEMONIC code uniquely identifies the error message.
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Message-text is a text string that describes the condition. The text string sometimes contains detailed information about the event, including terminal port numbers, network addresses, or addresses that correspond to locations in the system memory address space. Because variable fields change from message to message, they are represented here by short strings enclosed in square brackets ([ ]). A decimal number, for example, is represented as [dec]. Table 1-3 lists the variable fields in messages.
Table 1-3 Representation of Variable Fields in Messages
[chars] or [char]
Character string
[dec]
Decimal
[hex]
Hexadecimal integer
[int]
Integer
[num]
Number
System Message Example
The following is an example of a system error message:
LINK-2-BADVCALL: Interface [chars], undefined entry point
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Some messages also indicate where the system condition occurred. These messages are structured as follows:
FACILITY-SOURCE-SEVERITY-MNEMONIC: Message-text
SOURCE indicates the location of the condition. Examples of SOURCE are SP, which indicates that the condition occurred in the switch processor, or DFC5, which indicates that the condition occurred in the Distributed Forwarding Card on the module in slot 5.
Using the Error Message Decoder to Search for System Messages
The Error Message Decoder (EMD) is a tool that will help you to research and resolve error messages for Cisco software. EMD helps you to understand the meaning of the error messages that display on the console of Cisco routers, switches, and firewalls.
To use the EMD, copy the message that appears on the console or in the system log, paste it into the window, and press the Submit button. You will automatically receive an Explanation, Recommended Action, and, if available, any related documentation for that message.
The EMD is located here:
http://www.cisco.com/pcgi-bin/Support/Errordecoder/index.cgi?locale=en
Searching for System Messages in Online Documentation
To search for messages in online documentation, use the search function of your browser by copying and pasting the message that appears on the console or in the system log.
Some messages that appear on the console or in the system log indicate where the system condition occurred. These messages are structured as follows:
FACILITY-SOURCE-SEVERITY-MNEMONIC: Message-text
SOURCE indicates the location of the condition. Examples of SOURCE are SP, which indicates that the condition occurred in the switch processor, or DFC5, which indicates that the condition occurred in the Distributed Forwarding Card on the module in slot 5.
If you search for the explanation and recommended action of a message that contains a SOURCE, remove the SOURCE from the text first, and then search for the message in the documentation.
For example, instead of searching the documentation for the message C6KPWR-SP-4-DISABLED, remove the SOURCE identifier and search for the message C6KPWR-4-DISABLED.
Error Message Traceback Reports
Some messages describe internal errors and contain traceback information. This information is very important and should be included when you report a problem to your technical support representative.
The following sample message includes traceback information:
-Process = "Exec", level = 0, pid = 17
-Traceback = 1A82 1AB4 6378 A072 1054 1860