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The Implementation phase of your network deployment is an excellent time to develop a methodology for troubleshooting the network as a whole. Troubleshooting networking equipment at a system level requires solid detective skills. When a problem occurs, the list of potential suspects is long. You must collect detailed information and systematically narrow the list of potential causes to determine the root problem. This topic does not provide step-by-instructions for resolving problems that occur during network installation. Instead, this topic describes sound methods for troubleshooting your network using the following general steps:

1. Gather Information on the Problem.

2. Isolate Point(s) of Failure.

3. Apply Tools to Determine the Problem's Root Cause.

Gather Information on the Problem

Problems are typically discovered and reported by one of the following types of users:

•External users trying to reach employees within your company

•Internal users using phones to call employees in other company locations or PSTN destinations, and perform basic actions such as call transfers and dialing into conferences.

As the network administrator, you must collect sufficient information from these users to allow you to isolate the problem. Detailed, accurate information will make this task easier. Table 3 lists recommended questions to ask users when they report a problem. As you turn up your network, you may consider putting these questions in an on-line form. A form will encourage users to provide more details about the problem and also put them into the habit of looking for particular error messages and indicators. Capturing the information electronically will also permit you to retrieve and re-examine this information in the future, should the problem repeat itself.

Table 3 Questions to Ask Users When They Report Problems
Ask this Question...	To Determine...
Did something fail or did it simply perform poorly?	Whether the issue relates to system degradation or a connectivity failure. An example of a failure is when a user dials a phone number and hears fast busy tone. An example of a performance problem is when a user dials into a conference call and hears "choppy" audio when other parties speak. Quality of service or performance issues require a different approach than connectivity or operational problems. You must still isolate the potential sources of the problem, but you will typically use performance management tools instead of log files.
What device were you trying to use?	The device type, model and version of software installed. It is also critical to capture the IP address assigned to the device, as well as its MAC address. If the case of IP phones, determining the phone's active Cisco Unified Communications Manager server is also important. On Cisco Unified IP phones, these important network values can be displayed by pressing the Settings button and choosing the Network Configuration option from the menu.
Did it ever work?	If a device was recently installed and the problem occurred while making it work for the first time, or if the device was operating normally before the problem occurred. If the device was newly installed, the problem is most likely due to improper configuration or wiring of that particular device. Problems with devices that are already up and running can typically be traced back to one of two causes: (a) the user modifying their device, such as changing their configuration or upgrading software, or (b) a change or failure elsewhere in the network.
Exactly what action(s) did you perform?	The steps that led up to the problem, including which buttons were pressed and in which order. Capturing this information in detail is important so that you can consistently reproduce the problem.
What error message(s) appeared or announcements did you hear?	The visual and audio indicators of the problem. Ask users to provide the exact text that appears and any error codes in either an E-mail or on-line form. If the error indication was audible, ask the user to write down the announcement they heard, the last menu option they were able to successfully choose or the tone they heard when the call failed.
What time did the problem occur?	The date and time to compare against entries in log files. If the problem occurred on a Cisco Unified IP phone, make certain the user provides the timestamp that appears on their phone's display. Several Cisco components in a network may capture the same problem event in separate log files, with different ID values. In order to correlate log entries written by different components, you must compare the timestamps to find messages for the same event. Cisco Unified IP phones synchronize their date and time with their active Cisco Unified Communications Manager server. If all Cisco components in the network use Network Time Protocol (NTP) to synchronize with the same source, then the timestamps for the same problem messages will match in every log file.
What is the number of the phone you used and what was the phone number you called?	If the problem relates to a WAN or PTSN link, or a Cisco Unified Communications Manager dial plan issue. Ask the user the phone number he or she dialed (called number) and determine if the destination was within his or her site, another site within the corporate network, or a PSTN destination. Because the calling number (the number of the phone used) also affects call routing in some cases, capture this number as well.
Did you try to perform any special actions, such as a transfer, forward, call park, call pickup, or meet-me conference? Is the phone set up to automatically perform any of these actions?	If the problem is not directly related to the calling number or called number but rather to the supplementary service setup on Unified Communications Manager or the problem is at the destination phone the user tried to reach by transferring or forwarding the call.
Did you attempt the same action on another device?	If the problem is isolated to that user's device or represents a more widespread network problem. If the user cannot make a call from his or her phone, ask the user to place a call to the same destination using a phone in a nearby office.

Isolate Point(s) of Failure

After collecting information on the symptoms and behavior of the problem, to narrow the focus of your efforts you should:

•Identify the specific devices involved in the problem.

•Check the version of software running on each device.

•Determine if something has changed in the network.

•Verify the integrity of the IP network.

Identify Devices Involved in the Problem

In large- to medium-sized networks, it is crucial to identify the specific phones, routers, switches, servers and other devices that were involved in a reported problem. Isolating these devices allows you to rule out the vast majority of equipment within the network and focus your time and energy on suspect devices. To help you isolate which devices were involved in a problem, two types of information can prove invaluable:

•Network topology diagrams: It is strongly recommended that you have one or more diagrams that show the arrangement of all Cisco Unified Communications products in your network. These diagrams illustrate how these devices are connected and also capture each device's IP address and name (you may want to also have a spreadsheet or database of the latter information). This information can help you visualize the situation and focus on the devices that may be contributing to the reported problem. See Network Topology Diagrams for recommendations on how to prepare these diagrams.

•Call flow diagrams: Cisco equipment, including Unified Communications Manager servers, typically provide detailed debug and call trace log files. To interpret these log files, however, it is useful to understand the signaling that occurs between devices as calls are set up and disconnected. Using the network topology and call flow diagrams in conjunction with the log files, you can trace how far a call progressed before it failed and identify which device reported the problem. Examples of using call flow diagrams for problem isolation are shown in Troubleshooting Daily Operations.

Check Software Release Versions for Compatibility

After you have identified which devices may be involved in the problem, verify that the version of software running on each device is compatible with the software running on every other device. As part of Cisco Unified Communications Release 7.0(1) verification, Cisco Systems has performed interoperability and load testing on simulated network environments running specific software versions. The Release Matrix lists the combination of software releases that were tested.

However, if the combination of releases installed in your network does not match the values in the Release Matrix, it does not necessarily mean the combination is invalid. To check interoperability for a specific device and software release, locate and review its Release Notes. Release Notes contain up-to-date information on compatibility between the product and various releases of other products. This document also describes open caveats, known issues that may cause unexpected behavior. Before beginning extensive troubleshooting work, examine the Release Notes to determine if you are experiencing a known problem that has an available workaround.

Tip The Bug Toolkit requires that you are a Cisco partner or a registered Cisco.com user with a Cisco service contract. Using the Bug Toolkit, you can find caveats for any release. To access the Bug Toolkit, go to the http://tools.cisco.com/Support/BugToolKit/ .

Determine if Network Changes Have Occurred

Before focusing on the particular device or site where the problem occurred, it may be useful to determine if a change was made to surrounding devices. If something has been added, reconfigured or removed from elsewhere in the network, that change may be the source of the problem. It is recommended that you track changes to the network such as:

•New user phones added

•Modifications to Cisco Unified Communications Manager call routing settings, such as new directory numbers, route patterns and dial rules to support new sites or devices

•Changes to port configurations on switches, routers or gateways (new equipment, wiring changes or new port activation)

•Changes to IP addressing schemes (such as adding new subnets) that may have affected route tables

Verify the IP Network Integrity

Always remember that Cisco Unified Communications equipment relies on a backbone IP network. Many connectivity problems are not caused by configuration errors or operational failures on Cisco devices, but rather by the IP network that interconnects them. Problems such as poor voice quality are typically due to IP network congestion, while call failures between locations may be the result of network outages due to disconnected cables or improperly configured IP route tables.

Before assuming that call processing problems result from Cisco Unified Communications devices themselves, check the integrity of the backbone IP network. Keep the OSI model in mind as you perform these checks. Start from the bottom, at the physical layer, by checking that end-to-end cabling. Then verify the status of Layer 2 switches, looking for any port errors. Move from there to confirm that the Layer 3 routers are running and contain correct routing tables. Continue up the OSI stack to Layer 7, the application layer. To resolve problems occurring at the top levels of the stack, a protocol analyzer (or "sniffer") may be useful. You can use sniffer to examine the IP traffic passing between devices and also decode the packets. Sniffers are particularly useful for troubleshooting errors between devices that communicate using Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) or Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

Apply Tools to Determine the Problem's Root Cause

After you have eliminated the IP network as the source of the problem and you have isolated the specific Cisco Unified Communications components involved, you can start applying the many diagnostic tools provided by Cisco components.

Table 4 lists the diagnostic tools and supporting troubleshooting documentation available for most components in an IP telephony network. Note that this summary table is provided for reference only. The procedures in Troubleshooting Daily Operations specify when to use each tool and provide links to the troubleshooting instructions in each component's documentation where appropriate.

Table 4 IP Telephony for Enterprise and Midmarket Component Troubleshooting Tools and Documentation
Category	Component	Diagnostic Tools Available	Information Available In...
Call Control	Cisco Unified Communications Manager	Serviceability System tools: •Alarms •Real-Time Monitoring Tool window Trace log files •Communications Manager trace log •SDL trace log (under TAC direction)	Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager Cisco Unified Communications Manager Real-Time Monitoring Tool Administration Guide Cisco Unified Serviceability Administration Guide Cisco Unified Communications Manager CDR Analysis and Reporting Administration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager Disaster Recovery System Administration Guide Troubleshooting TechNotes
	Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition	Serviceability System tools: •Alarms •Real-Time Monitoring Tool window Trace log files: •Communications Manager trace log •SDL trace log (under TAC direction)	Cisco Unified Communications Manager Real-Time Monitoring Tool Administration Guide Cisco Unified Serviceability Administration Guide Cisco Unified Communications Manager CDR Analysis and Reporting Administration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager Disaster Recovery System Administration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition
	Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express	IOS command line tools (such as Show commands and Debug trace utilities)	Troubleshooting Guides Troubleshooting TechNotes
	Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony	IOS command line tools (such as Show commands and Debug trace utilities)	Cisco Unified SRST System Administrator Guide, "Monitoring and Maintaining Cisco Unified SRST" chapter
	Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series for Small Business	IOS command line tools (such as Show commands and Debug trace utilities) SNMP alarms/events	User Guide for the Catalyst Express 520 Switches, "Troubleshooting the Switch" chapter Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series Support Wiki See also Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express
Contact Center	Cisco Unified Contact Center Express	Log files Alarms	Cisco Unified Contact Center Express Servicing and Troubleshooting Guide Cisco CAD Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager Cisco CAD Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express Troubleshooting TechNotes
Application	Cisco Emergency Responder	E-mail alerts sent to administrator ERL Debug tool Cisco ER Admin Utility tool Call history logs SYSLOG collector tool that generates trace and debug files Windows Event Viewer	Cisco Emergency Responder Administration Guide, "Troubleshooting Cisco Emergency Responder" chapter Troubleshooting Guides
	Cisco Unified Application Environment	AppServer log files	Administration Guide for the Cisco Unified Application Environment, "Maintaining the Cisco Unified Application Environment" chapter
	Cisco Unified PhoneProxy	System log files: •Shell.log •Update.log •Phoneproxy.log	Cisco Unified PhoneProxy Administration Guide, "Troubleshooting" chapter
	Cisco Unified Presence	System Configuration Troubleshooter Presence troubleshooter Microsoft Office Configuration Troubleshooter Trace log files Alarms	Configuration and Maintenance Guide for Cisco Unified Presence User Guide for Cisco IP Phone Messenger for Cisco Unified Presence, "Troubleshooting" section Serviceability Configuration and Maintenance Guide for Cisco Unified Presence Disaster Recovery System Administration Guide for Cisco Unified Presence
Conferencing	Cisco Unified MeetingPlace	Log files: •Gateway SIM event log •Error log gwcptrace CLI command	Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Installation and Upgrade Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace, "Troubleshooting the Cisco Unified MeetingPlace 3500 Series Media Server" section Troubleshooting TechNotes
Conferencing	Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Express	System logs Alarms	Configuration and Maintenance Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Express, "Troubleshooting Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Express" chapter User Guide for Cisco Unified MeetingPlace Express, "Troubleshooting and Getting Help" chapter
Conferencing (video)	Cisco Unified Video- conferencing Video Gateway 3521, 3522, 3526, 3527, 3545	BRI/PRI link LEDs on front and rear panels BRI/PRI link LEDs viewable remotely using Gateway interface Gateway statistics	Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 3500 Gateway
Conferencing (video)	Video MCU 3515, 3540, 3545	LEDs Command line interface	Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unified Videoconferencing 3500 MCU
Voice Mail and Unified Messaging	Cisco Unity	Event log Cisco Unity Diagnostic Tool (UDT): •Macro trace logs •Micro trace logs Voice Connector trace logs Tools Depot utilities: •Integration Monitor •Call Viewer •Port Status Monitor Dialogic tools (for systems equipped with Dialogic voice cards only): •TSP trace logs •Universal Dialogic Diagnostics Utility Dr. Watson logs for underlying Windows 2000 server platform	Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unity Release 5.x (With Microsoft Exchange) Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unity Release 5.x (With IBM Lotus Domino) Troubleshooting TechNotes
Voice Mail and Unified Messaging	Cisco Unity Connection	Serviceability System tools: •Alarms •Real-Time Monitoring Tool window Cisco Unity Diagnostic Tool (UDT): •Macro trace logs •Micro trace logs CuVrt service verbose logging	Administration Guide for Cisco Unity Connection Serviceability Troubleshooting TechNotes
Endpoints and Clients	Cisco Unified IP phones	Network configuration, status and phone model information on Settings menu	End-User Guides Cisco Unified IP Phone Administration Guides for Cisco Unified Communications Manager, "Troubleshooting and Maintenance" chapters Error Message Decoder Output Interpreter Troubleshooting TechNotes
	Cisco IP Communicator	Quality Report Tool (QRT) Error Reporting Tool	Cisco IP Communicator Administration Guide, "Troubleshooting Cisco IP Communicator" chapter User Guide for Cisco IP Communicator, "Troubleshooting Cisco IP Communicator" chapter Troubleshooting TechNotes
	Cisco Unified Personal Communicator	Problem Reporting Tool/Assistant Trace logs	Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unified Personal Communicator User Guide for Cisco Unified Personal Communicator for Windows, "Troubleshooting Cisco Unified Personal Communicator" chapter for Windows version User Guide for Cisco Unified Personal Communicator for Macintosh, "Troubleshooting Cisco Unified Personal Communicator" chapter for Macintosh version
	Cisco Unified Video Advantage	Diagnostics Tool AutoUpdate Status Viewer CAST Viewer CDP Viewer Trace Tool Error Reporting Tool	Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for Cisco Unified Video Advantage, "Troubleshooting Cisco Unified Video Advantage" chapter Cisco Unified Video Advantage User Guide, "Troubleshooting Cisco Unified Video Advantage" chapter Troubleshooting TechNotes
Wireless and Mobility	Cisco Aironet 1200 Access Point	LEDs Carrier busy test Ping/link test	Cisco Aironet 1200 Series Access Point Hardware Installation Guide, "Troubleshooting" chapters Cisco IOS Software Configuration Guide for Cisco Aironet Access Points, "Troubleshooting" chapter Troubleshooting TechNotes
	Cisco Unified Mobility Advantage	Log files	Cisco Unified Mobility Advantage Administration Guide, "Troubleshooting" chapter Cisco Unified Mobility Advantage Installation and Upgrade Guide, "Troubleshooting Cisco Unified Mobility Advantage" chapter
	Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator	Call Logs	User Guide for Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator for Windows Mobile Phones, "Troubleshooting Cisco Unified Mobile Communicator" chapter
Security	Cisco ASA 5500 Series Adaptive Security Appliances	IOS command line tools (such as Show commands)	Cisco Security Appliance Command Line Configuration Guide, "Applying Application Layer Protocol Inspection" chapter Error Message Decoder Output Interpreter Troubleshooting TechNotes
	Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Firewall Services Module (FWSM)	Log files Crash dump	Catalyst 6500 Series Switch and Cisco 7600 Series Router Firewall Services Module Logging System Log Messages Catalyst 6500 Series Switch and Cisco 7600 Series Router Firewall Services Module Configuration Guide, "Troubleshooting the Firewall Services Module" chapter FWSM Failover Troubleshooting TechNote
	Cisco NAC Appliance (Clean Access)	Log files	Cisco NAC Appliance Configuration Quick Start Guide Error Message Decoder Output Interpreter Troubleshooting TechNotes
Network Management	Cisco Unified Operations Manager	Alarms and events appearing in Dashboard displays Phone status tests Synthetic test Node-to-node tests	User Guide for Cisco Unified Operations Manager, "Administering Operations Manager" chapter
	Cisco Unified Service Monitor		User Guide for Cisco Unified Service Monitor, "Administering the System and Managing Data" chapter
	Cisco Unified Service Statistics Manager		User Guide for Cisco Unified Service Statistics Manager, "Using the SSM Administration Console" chapter
	Cisco Unified Provisioning Manager		User Guide for Cisco Unified Provisioning Manager, "Administering Infrastructure" chapter
Communications Infrastructure	VG224 Analog Voice Gateway	IOS command line tools	VG224 Analog Phone Gateway Software Configuration Guide, "Using the ROM Monitor" chapter Troubleshooting Guides Output Interpreter Troubleshooting TechNotes
	Cisco Catalyst 3550 Access Switch	IOS command line tools (such as Show commands and Debug trace utilities)	Catalyst 3550 Multilayer Switch Software Configuration Guide, "Troubleshooting" chapter Error Message Decoder Output Interpreter Troubleshooting Tech Notes
	Cisco Catalyst 3560 Access Switch	IOS command line tools (such as Show commands and Debug trace utilities)	Catalyst 3560 Switch Software Configuration Guide, "Troubleshooting" chapter Catalyst 3560 Switch System Message Guide, "Catalyst 3560 Switch Debug Commands" chapter Error Message Decoder Output Interpreter Troubleshooting Tech Notes
	Cisco Catalyst 3750 Access Switch	IOS command line tools (such as Show commands and Debug trace utilities)	Catalyst 3750 Switch Software Configuration Guide, "Troubleshooting" chapter Catalyst 3750 Switch System Message Guide, "Catalyst 3750 Switch Debug Commands" chapter Error Message Decoder Output Interpreter Troubleshooting Tech Notes
	Cisco Catalyst 4506 Access Switch	IOS command line tools (such as Show and Debug commands)	Catalyst 4500 Series Installation Guide, "Troubleshooting the Installation" chapter Catalyst 4500 Series Switch Cisco IOS System Message Guide Error Message Decoder Output Interpreter Troubleshooting TechNotes
Communications Infrastructure (continued)	Cisco Catalyst 6506, 6509 including Firewall Services Module (FWSM) and Communications Media Module (CMM)	IOS command line tools (such as Show commands and Debug trace utilities)	Catalyst 6500 Series Switch Installation Guide, "Troubleshooting" chapter Catalyst 6500 Series Error and System Message Guides Catalyst 6500 Series Switch and Cisco 7600 Series Router Firewall Services Module Command Reference for FWSM logging configuration and system log messages Error Message Decoder Output Interpreter Troubleshooting TechNotes
Communications Infrastructure (continued)	Cisco 1800 Series Integrated Services Router (ISR)	IOS command line tools (such as Show commands and Debug trace utilities)	Cisco 1800 Series Integrated Services Routers (Fixed) Software Configuration Guide, "Troubleshooting" chapter Troubleshooting TechNotes

System Troubleshooting Methodology