Using Alarms To Collect And Monitor Device Status; Configuring Alarm History Buffer Size - Brocade Communications Systems MLX Series Hardware Installation Manual

Using alarms to collect and monitor device status

Beginning in Brocade NetIron R05.3.00, the software keeps two logs; one of hardware status
currently available to the system, and another of hardware status history. The current alarm log
keeps only entries for current information; when a hardware status is no longer valid, the entry is
cleared. The alarm history log keeps a record of hardware statuses even after the status has
changed. The alarm history log enables you to quickly determine trouble areas in a system. For
example, by accessing the history, you can quickly determine if a problem is occurring too
frequently and might require action.
Each hardware status entry is called an alarm and is classified by severity assigned by the
software. The software categorizes alarms in the following levels:
•
•
•
By default, all hardware status alarm levels of major severity and higher are logged, though you can
configure the status alarm levels sent to both alarm logs (current and history). You can use the
show alarm command to view the current status on a device, or a logged history of hardware
alarms. To change the levels of alarms sent to the alarm logs, refer to
Buffer Size"
The alarms are specific to hardware status, whereas the syslog records information for software
events. Alarms can also be configured on very specific terms such as a failed temperature sensor
on a single interface module.
To take advantage of this feature, you should first set the alarm history buffer size. This is optional,
but you have the option to limit how many entries are stored in the alarm history so you can free up
space for other resources. Refer to
information.
Next, you should configure the severity of alarms for each device you want logged. For detailed
information, refer to
alarm logging, you can display alarms in the current alarm log and alarm history log using the show
alarm command, as described in

Configuring Alarm History Buffer Size

The history buffer size is configurable. The default buffer size is 400 entries, but it can be
configured to list between 100 and 3000 entries using the alarm history command.
For example, to configure the alarm history log size to 100 entries, enter the following command:
Brocade# alarm history 100
Syntax: [no] alarm history n
where n is the number of log entries you want to store in the alarm history log, between 100 and
3000.
To reset the alarm history back to the default buffer size, use the alarm history command with the
no operand. For example, to set the buffer size back to the default entry size from 100, enter the
following command:
Brocade MLX Series and NetIron XMR Hardware Installation Guide
53-1003821-01
Critical - A condition that will cause damage to the system. A condition that causes a traffic
outage on multiple ports.
Major - A condition that causes traffic outage on single ports or might cause damage to the
system.
Minor - A condition that should be investigated but will not damage the system.
on page 253.
"Configuring alarm logging"
Using alarms to collect and monitor device status
"Configuring Alarm History Buffer Size"
on page 254. Once you have configured your
Table 42 on page 255.
6
"Configuring Alarm History
on page 253 for more
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