Troubleshooting Process Overview
Troubleshooting Process Overview
Adapt this process for a given situation, but this template can serve as a road map for troubleshooting many different problems.
This process starts with the underlying hardware and builds logically from there to identify problems or eliminate potential problems as the troubleshooting proceeds.
Hardware Troubleshooting
Determine if the switch hardware is experiencing any problems and gather status data to determine the underlying hardware's overall health. A systemic problem in the platform may present itself as a network communication or configuration error.
Layer 1 (L1) Troubleshooting
Verify that the ports, cables, and transceivers are functioning correctly. Similar to the hardware troubleshooting, a problem with the physical layer may present itself as a network communication or configuration error.
Foundational Object Validation
Verify that the underlying foundational objects (fabric, trunk, cluster, and vlag) are functioning correctly. These objects provide basic communication through the fabric and redundancy mechanisms for data path failures. Failures in these objects should be easy to troubleshoot but ensure they are stable and functioning before continuing with the troubleshooting process.
Layer 2 (L2) Troubleshooting
Assuming the previous steps have not solved the problem, begin L2 troubleshooting. These steps should include pre-requisite information about the issue, such as; any user reported symptoms, IP addresses of the systems involved, switch ports of the systems involved, and VLAN membership.
Layer 3 (L3) Troubleshooting
Assuming the previous steps have not solved the problem, begin L3 troubleshooting. These steps should include pre-requisite information about the issue, such as; any user reported symptoms, network topology including routed segments, IP addresses of the systems involved, and network segments.
Other Tools and Configuration
Several other commands provide access to additional tools and configuration information useful in troubleshooting.
Logging and Monitoring
Log messages provide useful troubleshooting information.