Cisco Catalyst 4000 series Hardware Troubleshoot page 2

Components Used
This document is not restricted to specific software and hardware versions.
Conventions
Refer to Cisco Technical Tips Conventions for more information on document conventions.
Preparation for Troubleshooting Hardware on Catalyst
Switches
Many hardware problems encountered during field installations or during normal operation can be prevented
by a thorough product overview ahead of time. For those customers not already familiar with general system
and power requirements, proper installation procedure, switch management and software considerations for
these switches, Cisco recommends that you read documents in Cisco Catalyst 4000 Series Switches
Troubleshooting TechNotes.
This document covers this important information:
•
Which supervisor is supported in which chassis?
•
How do I back up my configuration?
•
Which software version is General Deployment (GD) for the Catalyst 4000 Family?
This document assumes familiarity with the Catalyst 4000 Command Reference. You should also have a prior
understanding of switching fundamentals, or have read How LAN Switches Work. Additional online
documentation is referenced throughout this document in order to assist in troubleshooting.
Online Troubleshooting Tools
Cisco has a variety of troubleshooting tools and resources in order to help you interpret switch output,
determine hardware software compatibility, track bugs, and search field notices. These tools and resources are
referenced throughout this document:
•
Output Interpreter (registered customers only) Paste in the output of a command and get the
interpretation with relevant errors, warnings, and status information.
•
Error Message Decoder (registered customers only) Paste in system error messages and discover
their meaning.
•
Bug Toolkit (registered customers only) Search for bugs.
•
Troubleshooting AssistantThis provides step−by−step instructions to many common network issues.
Catalyst 4000 Family Troubleshooting Procedures
This section discusses troubleshooting procedures, symptoms, show commands, and diagnostics for the
Catalyst 4000 family. This section assumes you have read the companion guide to this document, as described
in the Introduction of this document, and that you understand your switch and its capabilities.
Note: If the switch is connected to the network, do not reset or reseat modules as a first troubleshooting
step! In addition to the downtime that users experience, the internal buffer, which logs system messages are
erased and potentially useful information in regards to hardware or software errors are lost. If the switch is
offline, you have more freedom to monitor LED status, pull cables, reseat modules, or reset the switch as
necessary. Troubleshooting LED status is discussed in more detail later in this document.