Displaying and Managing Crash Log Entries

Use the Crash Log Information Center window to display and manage  crash log entries. You can delete (clear) all messages, delete one message at a time, and add messages (markers) to the crash log.

Messages related to fatal errors are recorded in the crash error log. This information is stored in NVRAM and, therefore, remains after a restart or power outage.

Crash Error Log information can be used as a diagnostic tool by your service representative, should you require assistance.

 

Managing Crash Log Entries

The maximum number of crash log entries is 254. If this number is exceeded, the next message overwrites the oldest message starting at crash log entry number 1.

You can insert informational messages, and delete entries, all at once or one at a time.

Procedure:

Step Action
1 Delete (clear) all crash log entries:
  • Select the Clear All Crash Log Entries option.
  • Click Apply.
2 Delete one crash log entry:
  • Click the Del button associated with the entry to delete.
3 Add an informational message to the crash log:
  • Click the Add button as indicated.

Note: The crash log is cleared and the crash log entry number is reset to 1, if the total message record size is exceeded and a new message is logged. Because the length of each message is different, the speed with which the record becomes full varies, depending on the total number of characters of all messages logged.

Determining When a Crash Occurred

The occurrence of a crash may not be obvious because the GS2000 line card restarts automatically.You can use information from the crash error log to determine when a crash occurred.

A time stamp is saved with each crash message if the time was set when the crash occurred. A time stamp tells you exactly when the crash occurred. See Setting and Viewing Clock Time for the CLI procedures to set the time. If a time stamp is not set, the uptime of the switch is saved.

Procedure:

Step Action
1 Determine when a message is logged in relation to other messages.

Two numbers are automatically assigned to each message, a crash log entry number and a historical message number. Use the historical number to determine when a specific message is logged in relation to other messages.

When the maximum of 254 messages is reached,  the next message overwrites the oldest message starting at crash log entry number 1. However, the historical message number continues to increment by one, up to and including 9999. The crash message having the highest historical message number is the most recent message logged. (See  the Crash Log Example.)

2 Insert a date/time stamp or similar marker at specific points in the crash log.

Click Add and enter your marker (message) into the crash error log.

Crash Log Example:

CRASH LOG ENTRY NUMBER 5 | Message 259 | Recorded (uptime): 0:01:48 (T2.0-022) Illegal Instruction at PC 0xa

CRASH LOG ENTRY NUMBER 6 | Message 6 | 1/5/1998 17:27:16 (T2.0-023) User induced bughlt via DVT

Crash log entry number 5 is the more recent entry.

Field Descriptions

Entry Crash log entry number. This is the number to use when identifying an entry for deletion.
Crash Message Crash log entry. The entry consists of the following:
  • Crash log entry number
  • Historical message number
  • Time stamp or recorded uptime, line card firmware version, and the informational message