Cisco Systems OL-8550-09 Enabling All-System Diagnostics, Redirecting Debug and Error Message Output

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Catalyst 3750 SwitchSoftware Configuration Guide
OL-8550-09
Chapter49 Troubleshooting
Using Debug Commands
To disable debugging of SPAN, enter this command in privileged EXEC mode:
Switch# no debug span-session
Alternately, in privileged EXEC mode, you can enter the undebug form of the command:
Switch# undebug span-session
To display the state of each debugging option, enter this command in privileged EXEC mode:
Switch# show debugging
Enabling All-System Diagnostics
Beginning in privileged EXEC mode, enter this command to enable all-system diagnostics:
Switch# debug all
Caution Because debugging output takes priority over other network traffic, and because the debug all privileged
EXEC command generates more output than any other debug command, it can severely diminish switch
performance or even render it unusable. In virtually all cases, it is best to use more specific debug
commands.
The no debug all privileged EXEC command disables all diagnostic output. Using the no debug all
command is a convenient way to ensure that you have not accidentally left any debug commands
enabled.
Redirecting Debug and Error Message Output
By default, the network server sends the output from debug commands and system error messages to the
console. If you use this default, you can use a virtual terminal connection to monitor debug output
instead of connecting to the console port.
Possible destinations include the console, virtual terminals, internal buffer, and UNIX hosts running a
syslog server. The syslog format is compatible with 4.3 Berkeley Standard Distribution (BSD) UNIX
and its derivatives.
Note Be aware that the debugging destination you use affects system overhead. Logging messages to the
console produces very high overhead, whereas logging messages to a virtual terminal produces less
overhead. Logging messages to a syslog server produces even less, and logging to an internal buffer
produces the least overhead of any method.
When stack members generate a system error message, the stack master displays the error message to
all stack members. The syslog resides on the stack master.
Note Make sure to save the syslog to flash memory so that the syslog is not lost if the stack master fails.
For more information about system message logging, see Chapter 31, “Configuring System Message
Logging.”