Operating instructions

Chapter 8. Cisco Systems IGESM troubleshooting 207
Otherwise, troubleshooting the IGESM is similar to other products in that there are typical
basic types of failures that can be encountered. Some of these are:
򐂰 Hardware failures of IGESM
– Not very common.
– The only solution is RMA of defective IGESM.
򐂰 Software failures (bug in IGESM)
– Not very common although, as with all products, software bugs do exist.
– Reference the latest code readme file for a list of resolved bugs with each release of
code.
򐂰 Misconfiguration of IGESM, other components, or both
– This is the most common issue encountered.
– Often requires close cooperation among different administrative groups to resolve.
How does one know where to start when troubleshooting? How does one know whether it is a
hardware or configuration issue and not a software bug?
The only true answer is
experience.
Rather than attempting to list step-by-step procedures for every possible troubleshooting
issue (which could fill several volumes and still not be complete), this chapter offers
information about what to gather and commands that can be useful, and assumes the person
doing the troubleshooting has experience in such matters.
The remainder of this document goes into details about troubleshooting various kinds of
issues and offers hints about useful troubleshooting commands.
8.2.2 Information useful to technical support
When engaging technical support, certain information can aid in timely resolution. Gather
these items and have them ready when you open a call to help ensure the quickest possible
resolution:
򐂰 Full description of issue being encountered
򐂰 Network diagram showing ports and VLANs in use (including the VLAN assigned to the
upstream port connecting to the Management Module)
򐂰 Network configuration of affected blade servers
򐂰 Network configuration of upstream devices
򐂰 Output from the following IGESM CLI commands for each IGESM in the BladeCenter
– show tech-support
– show int status
– show platform summary
– show span root
Important: Many of the following commands can affect the operation of the BladeCenter
and its attached network, and should only be executed by those who understand the
consequences of executing such commands. Wherever possible, warnings have been
provided when commands are offered that can have such an impact on operation, but it is
ultimately up to the troubleshooter to understand the consequences.