Table of Contents

Initial Troubleshooting

This chapter describes the first steps you should take when you start troubleshooting your switch router, and contains the following sections:

Online Diagnostics

This section describes the online diagnostics available for troubleshooting your switch router. Online diagnostics provide the following types of tests:

The switch router displays an error message on the console when it detects a hardware failure or problem.

Note   Online diagnostic tests only run on the primary route processor.

Processor Loopback Test (Catalyst 8540 CSR)

The processor loopback test detects failures in the route processor to switch processor interface. The test sends a packet from the route processor to each switch processor which then loops back to the route processor. This test can run on the switch router without any port adapters or interface modules installed.

Note   The size of the packet and frequency of the test are configurable to minimize the impact on system performance.

Accessibility Test

The accessibility tests ensure connectivity, at a configurable interval, between all of the following:

OIR Test

Online insertion and removal (OIR) tests check the functioning of the switch fabric and interfaces on a per-port basis. The switch router performs these tests when the system boots up and when you insert an interface module into a slot. The OIR test sends a packet to the interface loopback and expects to receive it within a certain time period. If the packet does not reach the port within the expected time period, or the received packet is corrupted, an error is registered and the port is changed to an administrative down state. Packets that are 1000 bytes in size are used in the test.

The OIR tests support all the enhanced Gigabit Ethernet interface modules, with the exception of the OC-3c and OC12c ATM uplink interface module. In addition, OIR tests are not supported on the Fast Ethernet or Gigabit Ethernet interface modules.

OIR is enabled by default on the Catalyst 8540 CSR. To disable it, enter the no diag online oir command. To enable OIR, refer to commands in the "Configuring Online Diagnostics (Catalyst 8540 CSR)" section.

Snake Test

The snake test detects and reports port-to-port connectivity failures. The snake test establishes connections across all the active ports in the switch router, originating and terminating at the primary route processor. The route processor establishes a connection by sending a packet to each port in turn, which then terminates at the route processor. If the packet does not reach the route processor within the expected time period, or the received packet is corrupted, further testing is performed to isolate and disable the port causing the problem. The frequency of the test is configurable to minimize the impact on system performance.

The snake test supports all the enhanced Gigabit Ethernet interface modules on the Catalyst 8540 MSR and Catalyst 8540 CSR.

Configuring Online Diagnostics (Catalyst 8540 CSR)

To configure online diagnostics, use the following global configuration commands:

Examples

The following example shows how to enable all online diagnostic tests:

The following example shows how to change the frequency of the access test:

Displaying the Online Diagnostics Configuration and Results (Catalyst 8540 CSR)

To display the online diagnostics configuration and results, use the following EXEC command:

Example

The following example shows how to display detailed access test information:

Example

The following example shows how to display OIR test status and details:

Checking DDTs Database and Release Notes for Workarounds

This section describes different methods you can use to check for IOS software bugs (defect tracking tool numbers [DDTs]) in your version of IOS software. Often, your problems with the switch router have been fixed or a workaround has been determined in a more recent version of software.

There are two ways to check for known bugs in the IOS software:

Using Bug Navigator II

Bug Navigator II is a DDT search tool you can use to search the DDT database and ask either of two types of questions:

To search the DDT database, you can access Bug Navigator II on the World Wide Web at http://www.cisco.com/support/bugtools/bugtool.shtml . Then perform the following steps:

Step 2   Read the "Bug Navigator II Help" instructions.

Step 3   From the "Cisco Hardware" list select your switch router under "Catalyst 8500 Series Switches." The Bug Navigator search tool replaces "Bug Navigator II Help" (in the right frame of the page).

Step 4   Select the following from the drop down menus:

Step 5   Click the "Search" button.

The entire window will be replaced with a "Bug Search Results" window with a list of DDTs containing your search criteria. Look at the Bug reports listed in the "titles" column. An existing bug entry that describes the problem you are having may have been fixed in a more recent version of the IOS software. Look in the "Fixed-in" column for a later version of the IOS software. All you might have to do to solve your problem is upgrade your software.

If a software upgrade is not listed as a way to solve your problem, double-click on the bug title and read the DDT details; a workaround might be listed there.

Checking IOS Release Notes

Release notes describe the features and caveats for Cisco IOS software releases. The release notes are listed by both product and IOS release number.

Note   All information pertains to both the Catalyst 8540 CSR and Catalyst 8510 CSR platforms, unless differences between the platforms are noted in the text.

The "Caveats" section of the release note lists known caveats for the switch router by tracking the DDTS number and the release number, and indicates whether the caveat has been corrected.

The "Caveat Symptoms and Workarounds" section summarizes caveat symptoms and suggested workarounds for the switch routers. You can also search thorough this section online, using either a word string or the DDTS number.

Troubleshooting Hardware and Software Version Problems

A common error you may encounter is the incompatibility of hardware modules and the IOS software version needed to perform a particular function. Check the Hardware and Software Compatibility Matrix document, available online, to confirm that you are using IOS software that supports the various hardware components installed in your switch router.

Verifying Hardware and Software Versions

Display the hardware and software versions to ensure that they are the most recent. Very old hardware and software versions (two or three versions back) can have caveats that have been fixed in more recent versions. Use the following EXEC commands to display the version information:

To verify the hardware and software versions, use the following steps:

IOS (tm) L3 Switch/Router Software (C8540CSR-IN-M), Version 12.0(10)W5(18c)

Step 2   Use the show hardware command to display the hardware revision levels.

Slot Ctrlr-Type Part No. Rev Ser No Mfg Date RMA No. Hw Vrs Tst EEP

Step 3   Verify that the hardware version is listed in the Hw Vrs column.

Step 4   Use the show hardware detail command to display detailed information about the hardware, including the functional image versions.

Step 5   Use the show functional-image command to display detailed information about the functional images for the route processors, switch processors, and Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet interface modules for the switch router (in this example, the Catalyst 8540 CSR). The following example shows how to display the functional image for the route processor in slot 4:

Functional Version of the FPGA Image: 4.8

#HardwareRequired: 100(3.0-19,4.0-19,5.0-19)