Performance Management Data for Switches


This section looks at performance monitoring for switches. Many of the issues are the same as for routers. As with routers, performance monitoring in switch hardware relates mainly to slot positioning. MIBs and CLI commands are again the main ways of collecting information on switch chasses and cards. As with routers, the polling period for switch performance MIBs should be right after a change management window period.

MIB Variables for Chassis Information

From CISCO-STACK-MIB, MIB variables to watch for chassis information include the following:

  • chassisBkplType: The chassis backplane type either fddi, fddiEthernet, Gigabit, or multiples of Gigabit.

  • chassisNumSlots: The number of slots available for plug-in modules, such as line cards.

  • chassisSlotConfig: An indication of which slots in the chassis have modules inserted. This is an integer value with bits set to indicate configured modules. It can be interpreted as a sum of f(x) as x goes from 1 to the number of slots, where f(x) = 0 for no module inserted and f(x) = exp(2, x 1) for a module inserted.

  • chassisModel: The chassis Model number.

  • chassisSerialNumberString: The serial number of the chassis, either numeric or alphanumeric.

The purpose of these MIB objects is to give you an understanding of the type of LAN switches you have in the network. Polling these MIB objects after a change management window is ideal to get an up-to-date and accurate inventory of your network. You can also use this data to quickly assess any issues that may arise with particular common hardware platforms based on Cisco Field Notices that may come out regarding major hardware defects.

From ENTITY-MIB (RFC 2037) from the entPhysicalTable, other MIB objects relating to these five are as follows:

  • entPhysicalVendorType

  • entHardwareRevision

  • entPhysicalDescr

  • entSerialNumber

  • entPhysicalParentRelPos

Chassis Information via show version

The show version command can be used to obtain chassis information for performance management of a switch. For the scope of this portion of performance management, the important data reported in this output are the hardware version of the chassis, the chassis model, and the chassis serial number because all other data relates to the supervisor cards or line cards. The total number of slots in the chassis is not visible here, but the total number of configured slots is available indirectly. The show version command is useful for displaying all the hardware information for the entire switch in a single CLI output. Example 10-7 focuses on the chassis-specific data.

Example 10-7 Obtaining switch chassis information with show version.
 Switch> show version WS-C5500 Software, Version McpSW: 4.5(1) NmpSW: 4.5(1) Copyright  1995-1999 by Cisco Systems NMP S/W compiled on Mar 29 1999, 16:09:01 MCP S/W compiled on Mar 29 1999, 16:06:50 System Bootstrap Version: 3.1.2 Hardware Version: 1.2 A Model: WS-C5500 B Serial #: 069002256 C Mod Port Model      Serial #  Versions --- ---- ---------- --------- ---------------------------------------- 1 D  2    WS-X5530   011437543 Hw : 2.0                                Fw : 3.1.2                                Fw1: 4.2(1)                                Sw : 4.5(1) 2 D  2    WS-X5101   003397731 Hw : 1.1                                Fw : 1.1                                Fw1: 1.3                                Sw : 3.1(1) 6 D  12   WS-X5213   003974709 Hw : 1.0                                Fw : 1.4                                Sw : 4.5(1)        DRAM                    FLASH                   NVRAM Module Total   Used    Free    Total   Used    Free    Total Used  Free ------ ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ----- ----- ----- 1       32640K  14322K  18318K   8192K   4118K   4074K  512K  109K  403K Uptime is 11 days, 8 hours, 8 minutes 

Following is the annotated information from Example 10-7:

A "Hardware Version" is the hardware version of the chassis.

B "Model" is the chassis model type based on Cisco's part number.

C "Serial #" is the chassis serial number associated with the switch.

D The "Mod" column shows the modules installed in the switch. By adding up the amount of cards in the different modules, you can come up with the chassisSlotConfig MIB value.

MIB Variables for Card Information

From CISCO-STACK MIB moduleTable, MIB variables to watch for chassis information include the following:

  • moduleModel

  • moduleSerialNumberString

  • moduleHwVersion

  • moduleFwVersion

  • moduleSwVersion

  • moduleStatus

  • moduleNumPorts

  • moduleSlotNum

These MIBs report the hardware characteristics of the supervisor and line cards installed in the switch, such as hardware, firmware, and software versions. Typically, the line cards exhibit the same firmware and software version as the supervisor card because the supervisor card controls most line cards. There are some line cards, however, that have their own versions of software running on them, such as the FDDI modules and ATM LANE modules. These two line cards require separate software images stored in flash memory.

As with the MIBs for chassis information, polling these MIB objects after a change management window is a good way to obtain up-to-date and accurate inventory of your network. You can also use this data to quickly assess any hardware defects that you learn about through Cisco Field Notices.

In addition to these MIB objects, the following are comparable MIBs from the ENTITY MIB from the entPhysicalTable:

  • entPhysicalVendorType

  • entHardwareRevision

  • entPhysicalDescr

  • entSerialNumber

  • entPhysicalParentRelPos

CLI Commands for Line Card Information

In addition to MIB objects that gather hardware information on the switches, there are also a couple of show commands that can get the same bit of information from the MIBs previously discussed.

Line Card Information from show version

For the scope of this portion of performance management, the important data reported in this output are the hardware version, model, and serial number of the supervisor and line cards. The DRAM, flash, and NVRAM memory installed are reported here under module 1 or 2 where the supervisor card resides. The show version command is useful for displaying all the hardware information for the entire switch in a single CLI output. Example 10-8 focuses on the supervisor and line card specific data here.

Example 10-8 Obtaining switch card information with show version.
 Switch> show version WS-C5500 Software, Version McpSW: 4.5(1) NmpSW: 4.5(1) Copyright  1995-1999 by Cisco Systems NMP S/W compiled on Mar 29 1999, 16:09:01 MCP S/W compiled on Mar 29 1999, 16:06:50 System Bootstrap Version: 3.1.2 Hardware Version: 1.2  Model: WS-C5500  Serial #: 069002256 Mod Port Model      Serial #     Versions --- ---- ---------- ---------    ---------------------------------------- 1 A  2 B   WS-X5530 C  011437543 D Hw : 2.0 E                                   Fw : 3.1.2 F                                   Fw1: 4.2(1)                                   Sw : 4.5(1) G 2 D   2 B  WS-X5101 C  003397731 D Hw : 1.1 E                                   Fw : 1.1 F                                   Fw1: 1.3                                   Sw : 3.1(1) G 6 A  12 B  WS-X5213 C 003974709 D  Hw : 1.0 E                                   Fw : 1.4 F                                   Sw : 4.5(1) G         DRAM                    FLASH                  NVRAM Module  Total   Used    Free    Total   Used    Free   Total  Used  Free ------ ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ----- ----- -----  1 A   32640K H 14322K  18318K   8192K I  4118K   4074K  512K J 109K  403K Uptime is 11 days, 8 hours, 8 minutes 

Following is the annotated information from Example 10-8:

A The "Mod" column shows the slot location of the line cards in the chassis.

B The "Port" column shows you how many physical ports are associated with a particular line card or supervisor card.

C The "Model" column is the line card model type based on Cisco's part number.

D The "Serial #" column is the serial number associated with the line card or supervisor card.

E "Hw" is the hardware version of the individual line card or supervisor card.

F "Fw" is the firmware version of the line card or supervisor card. The next column, "Fw1," is really irrelevant and not important enough to look at.

G "Sw" is the software version running on the particular card. Typically, you'll see the same software version as defined on the supervisor card, unless it is a specific feature card that requires its own software, such as the ATM LANE card or FDDI module.

H The "DRAM Total" column displays how much system memory is installed on the switch supervisor card.

I The "FLASH Total" column reports how much flash memory is installed on the supervisor card. This is where the software images reside for both the supervisor card and the feature-specific cards, such as the FDDI module or ATM LANE module.

J The "NVRAM Total" column reports how much NVRAM is available on the supervisor card. This is where the switch configuration file resides, as well as the log for the switch as displayed with the CLI command show log.

NOTE

Please note that the software for these feature cards is stored in flash on the supervisor card, not on the individual cards directly.


TIP

It is good practice to clear the log after upgrading the software on the switch to accurately track the issues seen with the new software release; for example, possible exception errors or other failures that exists on the switch.


Line Card Information from show module

The show module command will show you just about the same bits of information as the show version command, except for the module description and module status, as displayed in Example 10-9. This command allows you to see what kind of card is installed in the switch chassis and what the status is of the line cards or supervisor cards. You can also get the module, number of ports, card model, serial number, hardware version, firmware version, and software version from this output. You can also see from this output any sub-model types typically installed on the supervisor card, such as the netflow feature card (NFFC) or the uplink modules. This data is especially prevalent on the newer Supervisor cards (Supervisor III or WS-X5530).

Example 10-9 Obtaining line card information from show module.
 Switch>show module Mod  Module-Name           Ports  Module-Type            Model     Serial-Num  Status ---  -------------------   -----  ---------------------  --------- ---------  ------- 1A                         2B     100BaseFX MMF SuperviC WS-X5530D 011437543E  okF 2A                         2B     MM MIC FDDIC           WS-X5101D 003397731E  okF 6A                        12B     10/100BaseTX EthernetC WS-X5213D 003974709E  okF Mod  MAC-Address(es)                          Hw        Fw          Sw ---  ---------------------------------------  ------   ---------    ----------------- 1    00-e0-4f-73-8e-00 to 00-e0-4f-73-91-ff   2.0G     3.1.2H       4.5(1)I 2    00-60-3e-cd-55-6c                        1.1G       1.1H       3.1(1)I 6    00-60-83-5d-8a-ec to 00-60-83-5d-8a-f7   1.0G       1.4H       4.5(1)I Mod   Sub-Type   Sub-Model  Sub-Serial    Sub-Hw ---   --------   ---------  -----------   ----- 1A    NFFCC      WS-F5521D  0011437958E   1.1G 1A    uplinkC    WS-U5533D  0008588482E   1.0G Mod  SMT User-Data       T-Notify    CF-St ECM-St       Bypass ---  ------------------- ---------   -----------------  ------------- 2    WorkGroup Stack     30          c-Wrap-B in        absent 

A The "Mod" column shows the slot location of the line cards in the chassis.

B The "Ports" column shows you how many physical ports are associated with a particular line card or supervisor card.

C The "Module-Type" column displays the description of the line card or supervisor card installed. We group "Sub-Type" into this description, as well for the daughter card modules installed on the supervisor card, such as the NetFlow feature card (NFFC).

D The "Model" column is the line card model type based on Cisco's part number. The "Sub-Model" is grouped under here as well.

E The "Serial-Num" column is the serial number associated with the line card or supervisor card. The "Sub-serial" number of the daughter card is also grouped here as well.

F The "Status" column shows you the current state of the module. It can be one of the following values: ok, disable, faulty, other, standby, or error. If there is a "faulty" condition on the module, you can issue the show log or show test [mod_num] commands to see why it is faulty.

G "Hw" is the hardware version of the individual line card or supervisor card.

H "Fw" is the firmware version of the line card or supervisor card. The next column, "Fw1," is really irrelevant and not important enough to look at.

I "Sw" is the software version running on the particular card. Typically, you'll see the same software version as defined on the supervisor card unless it is a specific feature card that requires its own software, such as the ATM LANE card or FDDI module. Please note that the software for those kinds of cards is stored in flash on the supervisor card, not on the individual cards directly.

SNMP Traps and Syslog Messages for Chassis and Line Card Information

A number of syslog messages are useful for switch chassis performance management, and apply directly to the MIB objects and CLI commands previously discussed. They are collected in Table 10-3.

Table 10-3. Syslog Messages for Card Information
Message Explanation
SYS-5-MOD_INSERT: Module [dec] has been Inserted This message indicates that module [dec] was inserted; [dec] is the module number. This message is provided for information only. If a module is inserted and the message does not appear, this might indicate a problem. Enter the show module or show port [mod_num/port_num] command to verify that the system has acknowledged the module and brought it online.
SYS-5-MOD_REMOVE: Module [dec] has been Removed This message indicates that module [dec] was removed; [dec] is the module number. This message is provided for information only. If a module is removed and the message does not appear, this might indicate a problem. Enter the show port [mod_num/port_num] command to query the module. The system should respond as follows: Module n is not installed.
SYS-5-MOD_RESET: Module [dec] reset from [chars] This message indicates that module [dec] was reset from [chars]; [dec] is the module number and [chars] is a console number if the request is from a console session, or an IP address if the request is from a Telnet session or Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
SYS-5-SYS_RESET: System reset from [chars] This message indicates that the system was reset from [chars]; [chars] is a console number if the request is from a console session, or an IP address if the request is from a Telnet session or SNMP.
SYS-5-MOD_OK: Module [dec] is online This message indicates that module [dec] passed diagnostic self-test and is online; [dec] is the module number.

Chassis and Card Information via the Entity MIB

From ENTITY-MIB (RFC 2037) with the CISCO-ENTITY-VENDORTYPE-OID-MIB and CISCO-ENTITY-ASSET-MIB, here are some MIBs that are useful for chassis and card information:

  • EntPhysicalVendorType: Equivalent to chassisType and modelType

  • EntHardwareRevision: Equivalent to moduleHwVersion

  • EntPhysicalDescr: Equivalent to chassisBkplType

  • EntSerialNumber: Equivalent to chassisSerialNumberString and moduleSerialNumberString

  • EntPhysicalParentRelPos: Equivalent to chassisSlotConfig and moduleSlotNum

The purpose of these MIBs is to replace the existing CISCO-STACK MIB and make it more of a standard based on the RFC 2037 definition. The Entity MIBs are still evolving.



Performance and Fault Management
Performance and Fault Management: A Practical Guide to Effectively Managing Cisco Network Devices (Cisco Press Core Series)
ISBN: 1578701805
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 200

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