Bug Toolkit

Introduction

You can use Bug Toolkit to identify and evaluate bugs on Cisco software that have real or potential impact to your network.

Bug Toolkit offers two major functions that allow you to search for bugs and create personal saved searches.

For product version recommendations, advanced network bug scrubbing and additional support services, please consider Services by Technology.

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Search Bugs Tab

This tab provides the main search interface and capabilities of the tool. You can always start your search over by clicking this tab.

Bug Toolkit allows you to search for bugs in these two ways:

1. Locating a Bug Using the Cisco Bug ID



2. Searching for Bugs by Cisco Products

Locating a Bug Using the Bug ID

Cisco often publishes bug IDs in Software Release Notes, Technical Support documents, Security Advisories and other help documents. TAC engineers or other Cisco staff may provide you with Bug IDs as well. If you know a specific Bug ID, you can enter the known bug ID in the text box and then click GO to view available detailed information about the bug.

Note: Click Save Bug if you want to save the bug into a bug group that you define.

Searching for Bugs by Cisco Products

1. You may quickly jump to a Cisco Product by entering all or part of the name in the Select Product Text Box with the product category set to All Products. To help navigate through the Cisco product list, choose a Product Category in the Select Product Category text box and then select the name of your product in the Select Product text box. Then in the right box, type in the product name or select the product from the list.



2. The latest software version is selected by default. To choose a different software version, click the drop-down menu and select your product version.
   
   Note: You must select a single Cisco Product and version as the basis of your search. Choosing Cisco IOS Software from the Category Selection list permits you to search all the Cisco IOS bugs for a given version.



3. In Advanced Options, you can use the default settings or you can use custom settings for severity, status and other options.
   
   
   1. If you want to use the default settings, which is already selected, click Search.
      
      A list of bugs will appear by severity order, which is the default, and you can use the filter options at the top to help filter the bug search list.
   
   
   
   2. If you want to use custom settings, click Use custom settings for severity, status and others and a box will appear below with further search options. Then, click Search.

Search Keywords

Keywords will search in the bug headline and bug details. The exact phrase must match in it’s entirety to return a result unless Boolean operators are used between keywords or phrases.

Note: Standard Boolean search operators AND, OR, and NOT are supported when capitalized.

Severity

Check the respective boxes in order to search for bugs within that severity level. The default includes severity 1, 2, and 3 bugs.

Bug Severity is usually defined from the development managers’ point of view and gives the product teams ways to focus on bug fixes for their next releases. Other details they are aware of when making the severity ranking includes customer priority and other details not displayed within Bug Toolkit. The following table defines bug severity levels.

Bug Severity Level		Description
1	Catastrophic	Reasonably common circumstances cause the entire system to fail, or a major subsystem to stop working, or other devices on the network to be disrupted. There is no workaround. Example: Router crashes when you enter the isdn bind-l3 iua-backhaul dpnss command.
2	Severe	Important functions are unusable, and there is no workaround, but the router's other functions and the rest of the network is operating normally. Example: IP helper addresses are being ignored.
3	Moderate	Things fail under unusual circumstances, or minor features do not work at all, or things fail but there is a low-impact workaround. This is the highest level for documentation bugs. Example: LAT is not working unless you have an IP address on the interface.
4	Minor	Things fail under very unusual circumstances, but operation essentially recovers without intervention. Users don't need to install any workarounds, and performance impact is tolerable. Example: The first segment for each TCP connection is always retransmitted.
5	Cosmetic	The defect causes no real detrimental effect on system functionality. Example: The word "connection" is incorrectly spelled "conection" in a display.
6	Enhancement	This represents a request for new functionality or for an improvement to a feature that is currently offered.

Note: Cisco policy allows business units to reduce a bugs Severity from 1 or 2 if there is a workaround available. Bug Toolkit displays these bugs with their current severity on all Severity 1 and/or 2 searches and denotes these with "Workaround Available" next to the severity. Bug Toolkit users may need to consult Cisco support services for details on the workaround and how to implement it.

Status

Check the status of the bug you want to search. The default is Open and Fixed.

Note: A bugs’ status will change frequently throughout its life but the key thing to remember when evaluating status is that if the bug was returned on the version of software you are searching, the bug more than likely affects this version of software. If its status is closed, it is likely fixed on a new release as represented in the 1st fixed in version.

Status	Description
Open	The bug has not yet been fixed.
Fixed	The bug has been fixed.
Terminated	A decision was made to not fix this bug.

Bugs that do not have Bug Details written yet may not provide enough information for you to assess the impact of the bug properly. Should you want to include these bugs in your search, uncheck the Show only bugs containing bug details box.

Detail Level

Bugs that do not have Bug Details written yet may not provide enough information for you to assess the impact of the bug properly. Should you want to include these bugs in your search, uncheck the Show only bugs containing bug details box.

Modified Date

Select a time frame in the drop-down list that the bug information was last updated. You can choose to search for bugs Anytime, In Last 3 Days, In Last 7 Days, In Last 2 Weeks, In Last Month, and In Last Year. The default is In Last Year.

Note: Bug searches on older Cisco products or versions may not have bug activity within the past year. Widen your search to include Anytime if your search renders no results.

Results Displayed Per Page

This option allows you to choose the number of results displayed on one page, from 25, 50, 100 or 200 results. The search takes longer by increasing this value.

Note: Bug searches typically take 30-90 seconds to complete. More advanced searches can take longer. The bug database has millions of entries and Bug Toolkit applies advanced search rules to narrow the results to the bugs important to you.

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Bug Search Results

Filtering

You can refine your search using the technology and component filters as well as filtering by severity and status groups.

Severity

The severity filter allows you to narrow the results from your original search and focus on a specific severity as well as see a count of the bugs returned with each respective severity.

Status Group

The Status Group Filter refines your search results by allowing you to concentrate on bugs within a particular status group.

Technologies

All bugs are associated to code components and many of those components are directly related to common technologies. All bugs across any technology will be displayed and when available, the additional technologies within the result set can be selected to further filter your results. For example, if you are searching for bugs related to EIGRP within your result set, you might select the Routed Protocol technology to see all the bugs associated with this technology. Technologies can be multi-selected by using the Ctrl key while selecting.

Choose the filter option(s) and click Submit. The filters will be applied to the results.

Column Headers

The column headers allow you to sort by Bug ID, State, or Severity. The default sort order is Severity, highest first. Column headers cannot be sorted when search returns greater than 5,000 results. Please narrow your search criteria to enable column sorting.

Info Icon

Next to the listed bug is an Info icon, which shows a quick scan of bug details The Info icon allows you to see more details without clicking and viewing the entire bug.

Select Box

While viewing your search results, the column to the left allows you to select the bugs you are interested in saving for later review and/or email notifications.

You can save selected bugs by clicking Save Checked. Optionally, you can then set notification settings by completing these steps:

1. In Place in Group, select an existing bug group in the drop-down list or create a new bug group for this saved search.



1. If you choose an existing group, the Group Notification Settings will be set to the settings of that existing group. To change your Group Notification Settings, go to My Notifications to edit your options.



2. If you created a new group, you can then choose your Group Notification Settings. Some users like to organize bug groups by the product, device location such as a city or country, or other personally significant categories.
   
   Set email notification preferences if you want to be notified automatically when the status of a bug changes. You can choose No emailed updates to not receive email updates. Choose Yes, email updates to and type in your email address to receive updates. Then select a schedule for receiving email updates in the drop-down list.


2. Click Save to save the changes.

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Creating Saved Searches

The tool allows you to create and manage saved searches that allow you to monitor your specific network situation. You are able to save these search settings and set email notifications. You can edit a saved search at any time to change the alert conditions, the bugs being watched, or the network profile.

Complete these steps to create a saved search:

1. Perform a search using one of the methods described in Search for Bugs.
2. On the search result screen, click the Saved Search below the search results.
3. In the next window, the Search Information provides the main bug information including the Cisco Product, software version, technology, and severity level. In the text box next to Search Name, type a name for the saved search.
4. In Place in Group, select an existing bug group in the drop-down list or create a new bug group for this saved search. This group will contain the bugs that are identified using the search criteria you have saved. Each time a new bug meets the search criteria, it will be added to the group that you selected.

5. If you choose an existing group, the Group Notification Settings will be set to the settings of that existing group. To change your Group Notification Settings, go to My Notifications to edit your options.
   
   If you created a new group, you can then choose your Group Notification Settings. Some users like to organize bug groups by the product, device location such as a city or country, or other personally significant categories.

6. Set email notification preferences if you want to be notified automatically when a bug is updated. You can choose No emailed updates to not receive email updates. Choose Yes, email updates to and type in your email address to receive updates. Then select a schedule for receiving email updates in the drop-down list.
7. Click Save to save the changes.

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Creating Bug Groups

The tool allows you to create collections, or bins of bugs that you can use to monitor the status of specific bugs. When the status of a bug changes (for example, when its fix is integrated into a software release), you will be able to view the status of that bug in real time, or you can choose to receive email update notifications of those changes.

A bug group can also be continuously updated with new bugs that match specific saved search criteria. When a new bug that matches a saved search criteria is available, it will appear on your bug group display under the list of watched bugs. You then have the option of selecting any of the new bugs to watch.

Complete these steps to create a bug group:

1. Perform a search using one of the methods described in Search for Bugs.
2. In the search result window, select the check boxes next to the bugs that you want to include in a bug group.
3. Click Save Checked.
4. In the next window, the Search Information provides the main bug information including the Cisco Product, software version, technology, and severity level.
5. In Place in Group, choose an existing bug group in the drop-down list or create a new bug group to place these selected bugs in.
6. If you choose an existing group, the Group Notification Settings are disabled and will be set to the settings previously specified for that group. To change your Group Notification Settings, go to My Notifications for that group to edit your options.

   If you created a new group, you can then choose your Group Notification Settings. Some users like to organize bug groups by the product, device location such as a city or country, or other personally significant categories.

7. Set email notification preferences if you want to be notified automatically when the status of a bug changes. You can choose No emailed updates to not receive email updates. Choose Yes, email updates to and type in your email address to receive updates. Then select a schedule for receiving email updates in the drop-down list.
8. Click Save to create the bug group.

Email Notification Rules

To receive an email notification when a bug changes, you must include your email address in the profile information while creating or editing the bug group. You can change your email address and the schedule by editing these options in My Notifications. Email notifications expire after one year but can be renewed for another year by resetting the notification settings.

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My Notifications Tab

This tab allows you to view, create and/or modify existing bug groups or saved searches. Select the My Notifications tab to see a list of all your bug groups. Note that bug notifications automatically expire after one year.

Notification Expiration

Email notifications expire after one year. In order to renew, simply update your notification settings.

Choose Edit Notifications to change or update your notification options. This shows your saved bugs and saved bug searches, which you can delete, view, or move to another group.

Click Delete Group in order to delete the bug group.

In the drop-down list, you can choose Actions for Checked Items. You can delete bugs and saved searches, move bugs and saved searches to an existing group and move bugs and saved searches to a new group.

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Last Modified

Bug Toolkit allows users to search for bugs by a date range. The default date range is within the past year. You may choose:

• In last year (default)
• In last 3 days
• In last 7 days
• In last 2 weeks
• In last month
• Anytime

This field displays the Bug Toolkit date range the bug would fall into for a given search. When searching older Cisco products and versions, be sure to choose Anytime as most of these products are not under current development. The tool automatically suggests when you should widen your search.

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Product

This represents the MDF Product name assigned to the bug.

1st Found-In

These are the values in the "Version" field in CDETS.

Fixed-In

These are the values in the "Integrated-in" field in CDETS.

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Technology

All bugs at Cisco are filed against components. Components allow functional groups the ability to differentiate between various code writers, technology specialists, and subject matter experts. Since every bug is associated to a component, those components can often be associated with common technologies. When possible, this association is made to assist users in narrowing their bug search. It is always best to first use "All technologies", which is the default search filter. When the result set is large, apply a technology filter to the results to narrow in on a specific technology.

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Versioning

Cisco IOS Versions

Cisco IOS® software releases numbered like 12.0(11.4) are interim builds. Note the decimal point and number within the parenthesis, which designates this as an interim build. In this example, the .4 portion of the name identifies this release as an interim build.

Interim builds are weekly builds derived from Major, Consolidated Technology or Specific Technology releases. Cisco IOS interim builds are not readily available to customers. If the bug fix you desire is available on an interim build, please upgrade to the next maintenance release. For example, fixes available in an interim build such as Cisco IOS 12.0(11.4) are available in a maintenance release that follows, such as 12.0(12) or greater.

Refer to the Cisco IOS Software Family Numbering section of White Paper: Cisco IOS Reference Guide for more information.

Cisco IOS XR Versions

Cisco IOS XR builds with numbering formats such as 3.3(1.002i.BASE) are interim builds. Cisco IOS XR interim builds are in the format x.y(z.niPACKAGE) where x , y and z represent the major, minor and maintenance releases respectively, n represents the number of the interim build, and PACKAGE is the name of the IOS XR software package. Cisco IOS XR interim builds are not readily available to customers. Bugs found in interim builds are usually fixed in the next maintenance release. Note that the next maintenance release is the same as x.y(z) in the Found-in field. For example, a bug in the interim build 3.3(1.002i.BASE) could be fixed in maintenance release 3.3(1BASE). To determine if a particular bug is fixed in a particular maintenance release, refer to the release notes for that maintenance release.

PIX Firewall

PIX releases with numbering formats such as 5.1.(1.210) are interim builds. PIX interim builds are in the format x.y.z.iii where x and y represent the major release, z represents the maintenance release, and iii represents the interim build. Cisco PIX interim builds are not readily available to customers. Bugs found in interim releases are usually fixed in the next maintenance release. For example, a bug in the interim release 5.1.(1.210) could be fixed in maintenance release 5.1.2. To determine if a particular bug is fixed in a particular maintenance release, refer to the release notes for that maintenance release.

Known Affected Versions

Bug Toolkit provides a method to determine which bugs may affect different IOS versions. When it is likely that a bug affects more than one version, the tool displays a link for "Known Affected Versions". Click this link to view a list of version numbers that may exhibit this bug. The tool uses a complex algorithm to calculate the affected versions. Since there are many feature trains and sub-IOS versions, there is no way to calculate a completely accurate list. Cisco internal testing has determined that typical results are 75-80 percent accurate. You should assume that any versions in the list are affected and avoid upgrading to those versions if you wish to correct a problem you are experiencing. If you received a security advisory, the exact versions affected will be listed in the security advisory and the "Known Affected Versions" should be ignored.

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Bug Details

Cisco bugs contain details which often include the Symptom of the bug, the Conditions the bug might be experienced in, as well as any available workarounds available. Bug Toolkit refers to this additional information as Bug Details. If you de-select the box, Bug Toolkit will return bugs that do not have additional details yet. Some 4, 5, & 6 bugs may never have additional details written about them so it may be advantageous to use this feature when default search results are not rendering your result. Remember, bugs details are updated frequently throughout the life of a bug. If you want to be notified when this or any part of the bug is updated, save the bug and set up notifications.

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Feedback

There are two feedback links, one for Bug Toolkit, and one for the bug details.

Bug Toolkit Feedback

The feedback link is located in the upper right-hand corner. This form allows users to report general feedback or problems with Bug Toolkit. Every feedback submission is reviewed by the Tool Project Team. We can only contact you if your information is provided at the bottom of the form. By providing your information, this gives us permission to contact you about the feedback submission.

Bug Details Feedback

This feedback link is available in bugs that contain bug details. It displays a feedback form where you can rate the overall quality of the bug details. This feedback mechanism is used for us to learn which bugs need improvements in data and which ones are most effective. If the bug does not contain enough information for you to know what actions to take to circumvent the issue, please speak with our Technical Assistance Center for assistance with your issue.

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