A P P E N D I X C

Technical Support Information

When you have a problem that you cannot resolve, the resource of last resort is your Cisco Systems
technical support representative. To analyze a problem, your technical support representative will need
certain information about the situation and the symptoms that you are experiencing. To speed up the
problem isolation and resolution process, collect the necessary data before you contact your
representative.
This appendix describes how to collect relevant information about your internetwork and how to present
that information to your technical support representative. Refer to the appropriate chapter within this
book for specific information that you need to collect for each technology. In addition, some sections
describe Cisco Connection Online, Cisco’s primary, real-time support channel on the World Wide Web
(WWW), and Cisco Connection Documentation, Cisco’s library of product information on CD-ROM.
Both are valuable resources in troubleshooting network problems. Make sure that you search CCO for
documentation regarding your problem before you contact your technical representative.

Gathering Information About Your Internetwork

Before gathering any specific data, compile a list of all relevant symptoms that users have reported on
the network (such as connections dropping or slow host response).
The next step is to gather specific information. Typical information needed to troubleshoot
internetworking problems falls into two general categories: information required for any situation, and
information specific to the topology, technology, protocol, or problem.
Information that is always required by technical support engineers includes the following:
• Configuration listing of all routers involved
• Complete specifications of all routers involved
• Description of changes, if any, made to the network prior to the problem/symptom
• Description of the nature of the problem (whether the problem occurs intermittently, what errors are
being observed, and so on)
• Version numbers of software (obtained with the show version command) and firmware (obtained
with the show controllers command) on all relevant routers
• Network topology map
• List of hosts and servers (host and server type, number and function of each host/server on the
network, description of host operating systems implemented)
• List of network layer protocols, versions, and vendors

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Gathering Information About Your Internetwork

To assist you in gathering this required data, the show tech-support exec command has been added in
Cisco IOS Release 11.1(4) and later. This command provides general information about the router that
you can provide to your technical support representative when you are reporting a problem.
The show tech-support command outputs the equivalent of the show version, show running-config,
show controllers, show stacks, show interfaces, show buffers, show process memory, and show
process cpu exec commands. In many cases, the show tech-support command outputs can be long and
can affect router performance.
Specific requirements that vary depending on the situation include the following:
• Output from general show commands:
show interfaces
show controllers
show processes {cpu | mem}
show buffer
show mem summary
• Output from protocol-specific show commands:
show protocol route
show protocol traffic
show protocol interfaces
show protocol arp
show appletalk globals (AppleTalk only)
show ipx servers (Novell IPX only)
• Output from relevant debug privileged exec commands
• Output from protocol-specific ping and trace diagnostic tests, as appropriate
• Network analyzer traces, as appropriate
• Core dumps obtained using the exception dump router configuration command, or using the write
core router configuration command, if the system is operational, as appropriate

Getting the Data from Your Router

You must tailor the way that you obtain information from the router to the platform that you are using
to collect the information. Following are some hints for different platforms:
• PC and Macintosh—Connect a PC or a Macintosh to the console port of the router, and log all
outputs to a disk file (using a terminal emulation program). The exact procedure varies, depending
on the communication package used with the system.
• Terminal connected to console port or remote terminal—The only way to get information with
a terminal connected to the console port or with a remote terminal is to attach a printer to the
auxiliary port on the terminal (if one exists) and force all screen output to go to the printer. This
method is undesirable because there is no way to capture the output data to a file.
• UNIX workstation—At the UNIX prompt, enter the command script filename, where filename is
the destination file for the log, and then Telnet to the router. The UNIX script command captures
screen outputs to the specified filename. To stop capturing output and close the file, enter the
end-of-file character (typically ^D) for your UNIX system.

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Note To get your system to automatically log specific error messages or operational information
to a UNIX syslog server, use the logging internet-address router configuration command.
For more information about using the logging command and setting up a syslog server,
refer to the Cisco IOS configuration guides and command references.

Remote Console Port and Auxiliary Port Access

You can access a router from a remote location without a router being connected to a network by dialing
directly to the console or auxiliary port on a router. In general, the console port is recommended because
it displays router startup messages, whereas the auxiliary port does not provide this information. In
addition, if a router hangs in the read-only memory monitor, you can reboot the system if you are
connected using the console port. However, if you have a local terminal connected to your console, you
might have no other choice than to connect to the auxiliary port. The following discussions provide the
general requirements for connecting to a Cisco router remotely via the console or auxiliary ports.

Console Port Connected Modem

To connect remotely to the console port on a Cisco router, you need the following:
• Null modem cable
• PC or equivalent with suitable communications software
• 14.4 kbps–capable modem
When you have your communications software installed, set your PC’s comm port (or equivalent) to
9600 baud (a software setting).
The modem attached to your router’s console port must be configured as follows:
• Lock the DTE speed to 9600
• Set no flow control
• Set autoanswer
• Set no echo
• Set no result

Note Refer to your modem documentation to determine the commands required to set these
options on your modem. Refer to your modem and router hardware documentation for
specific cabling requirements.

Auxiliary Port Connected Modem

To connect remotely to the console port on a Cisco router, you need the following:
• Straight-through serial cable
• PC or equivalent with suitable communications software
• 14.4 kbps–capable modem

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Note Refer to your modem documentation to determine the commands required to set these
options on your modem. Refer to your modem and router hardware documentation for
specific cabling requirements.

To use the router’s auxiliary port for remote access, you must include several configuration commands.
The required commands are as follows:

line aux 0

modem inout

If you are using software prior to Cisco IOS 11.1, set the modem options as specified for the console port.
If you are using Cisco IOS 11.1 or later, you do not need to set the modem configuration manually, but
you must include the modem autoconfigure discovery line configuration subcommand.

Note You can also refer to Chapter 16, “Troubleshooting Dialup Connections,” for additional
related information.

CCO
CCO, formerly Cisco Information Online (CIO), is Cisco Systems’ primary, real-time support channel.
Maintenance customers and partners can self-register on CCO to obtain additional content and services.
Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, CCO provides a wealth of standard and value-added
services to Cisco’s customers and business partners. CCO services include product information, software
updates, release notes, technical tips, the Bug Navigator, the Troubleshooting Engine, configuration
notes, brochures, descriptions of service offerings, and download access to public and authorized files.
CCO serves a wide variety of users through two interfaces that are updated and enhanced
simultaneously: a multimedia version that resides on the WWW, and a character-based version. The
WWW version of CCO provides richly formatted documents with photographs, figures, graphics, and
video, as well as hyperlinks to related information, official documentation, and technical tips. The
character-based CCO supports Zmodem, Kermit, Xmodem, FTP, Internet e-mail, and fax download
options, and it is excellent for quick access to information over lower bandwidths.
You can access CCO in the following ways:
• WWW: www.cisco.com.
• Telnet: cco.cisco.com.
• Modem: From North America, 408-526-8070; from Europe, 33 1 64 46 40 82. Use the following
terminal settings: VT100 emulation; databits: 8; stop bits: 1; parity: none; baud rate: up to 14.4 kbps.
For a copy of CCO’s frequently asked questions (FAQ), send e-mail to cco—[email protected]. For
additional information, send e-mail to cco—[email protected].

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CCO Troubleshooting Services

Registered CCO users can take advantage of a number of WWW-based support services offered by
Cisco’s Customer Support Engineering organization. These services are offered to help you diagnose and
resolve problems in your network. These tools are accessible to registered CCO users through the
Technical Assistance Center (TAC) page within CCO. WWW-based troubleshooting services/tools
include the following:
• Open Q&A Forum—This interactive tool that provides database searches for quick answers to
technical questions. For more difficult questions, you receive access to CCIE qualified experts to
help solve your problem.
• Automated TAC Case Management—Problem cases can be opened, updated, and monitored
through CCO’s Case tools.
• Troubleshooting Assistant—This tool resolves a variety of common internetworking problems
using an intuitive web interface. It supports a variety of technologies and protocols.
• Stack Decoder—This tool analyzes and diagnoses stack traces from Cisco IOS routers. You can
paste the output from the show stack exec command into the tool and receive the results on the
screen or by e-mail.
• Hardware/Software Compatibility Matrix—This tool can be used to determine the compatibility
between hardware product numbers and software versions.
• Software Bug Toolkit—This tool is used to search for software bugs based on version and feature
sets.
All CCO users—registered users and guests alike—can obtain answers to frequently asked questions,
implementation case studies, technical tips, implementation procedures, sample configurations, and
more at CCO’s public site (www.cisco.com/public/Support_root.shtml).
You can sign up as a registered CCO user at www.cisco.com/public/registration.shtml.

Providing Data to Your Technical Support Representative

If you need technical assistance with a Cisco product that is under warranty or covered by a maintenance
contract, contact Cisco’s Technical Assistance Center (TAC) to open a case. Contact the TAC with a
phone call or an e-mail message:
• North America—800-553-2447; e-mail: [email protected]
• Europe—32 2 704 5555; e-mail: [email protected]
• Asia-Pacific—61 2 8448 7107; e-mail: [email protected]
Refer to the TAC web page on CCO for more information about contacting the TAC center nearest you.
When submitting information to your technical support representative, electronic data is preferred.
Electronic data significantly eases the transfer of information between technical support personnel and
development staff. Common electronic formats include data sent via electronic mail and files sent using
FTP.
If you are submitting data to your technical support representative, use the following list to determine
the preferred method for submission:
• The preferred method of information submission is via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) service over the
Internet. If your environment supports FTP, you can place your file in the incoming directory on the
host cco.cisco.com.

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• The next best method is to send data by e-mail. Before using this method, be sure to contact your
technical support representative, especially when transferring binary core dumps or other large files.
• If you use e-mail, do not use encoding methods such as binhex or zip. Only MIME-compliant mail
should be used.
• Transfer via a PC-based communications protocol, such as Kermit, to upload files to (CCO). Again,
be sure to contact your technical support representative before attempting any transfer.
• Transfer by disk or tape.
• The least favorable method is hard-copy transfer by fax or postal service.

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