Dashboard

The Dashboard provides information about the switch and is the main window for monitoring the switch status and its performance. It is the default window and appears each time that you display the device manager. The Dashboard displays:

Tips on Using this Window:

  • Click Refresh to update the information displayed. The information on this window is automatically updated at each system refresh (every 60 seconds).
  • The Dashboard gauges and graphs are like the graphs on the Trends window. The Dashboard displays instantaneous status, while the Trends graphs displays historical status. By using them together, you can gather the detailed conditions of the switch and its ports.
  • The Front Panel view status indicators and the Status field also provide information for monitoring the switch and its ports.

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Switch Information

The Switch Information area displays reference information about the switch.

Host Name
The name (Host Name) of this switch configured during initial setup. If no name was provided, this field displays the default name, Switch.
IP Address
The IP address of this switch configured during initial setup.
MAC Address
The MAC address of this switch. This information cannot be changed.
Product ID
The model of this switch. This information cannot be changed.
CIP Revision
The version of the Common Industrial Protocol (CIP). This information cannot be changed.
CIP Serial No
The serial number of this switch. This information cannot be changed.
Hardware Rev
The hardware version of the switch. This information cannot be changed.
Software
The Cisco IOS release that this switch is running. This information is updated when you upgrade the switch firmware.
Contact
The name of the person who is the administrative contact for this switch. This information is entered on the SNMP window.
Location

The location of this switch. This information is entered on the SNMP window.

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Switch Health

The Switch Health area has gauges and indicators that show the overall status of the switch, such as:

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Bandwidth Used Gauge

The Bandwidth Used gauge shows the total percentage of the switch bandwidth being used. You can also move the pointer over the gauge to see this percentage. Each bar in the gauge represents 10 percent and does not show increments that are less than 10 percent. The gauge does not show total bandwidth under 5 percent.

Data is collected at each 60-second system refresh. To manually refresh the gauge, click Refresh. For a graph that shows bandwidth utilization patterns over incremental instances in time (by 60 seconds, 60 minutes, 24 hours, or 14 days), click View Trends.

The Bandwidth Used gauge changes as the switch experiences the network activity from devices sending data through the network. As network activity increases, contention between devices to send data through the network increases. As you monitor usage on the switch, note whether the percentage of usage is what you expect during that given time of network activity. If usage is high when you expect it to be low, perhaps a problem exists.

As you monitor the switch, note whether the bandwidth usage is consistently high. This can mean there is congestion in the network. If the switch reaches its maximum bandwidth (above 90 percent usage) and its buffers become full, it begins to discard the data packets that it receives. Some packet loss in the network is not considered unusual, and the switch is configured to help to recover lost packets (such as by signaling to other devices to resend data). However, excessive packet loss can create packet errors, which can degrade overall network performance.

To reduce congestion, consider segmenting the network into subnetworks that are connected by other switches or routers. Look for other causes, such as faulty devices or connections, that can also increase bandwidth usage on the switch.

To thoroughly monitor how the switch is handling network traffic, see

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Packet Error Gauge

The Packet Error gauge shows the total packet error percentage for the switch. You can also move the pointer over the gauge to see this percentage. Each bar in the gauge represents 10 percent and does not show increments that are less than 10 percent. The gauge does not show total packet errors under 5 percent.

Data is collected at each 60-second system refresh. To manually refresh the gauge, click Refresh. To see a graph that shows packet error percentages over incremental instances in time (by 60 seconds, 60 minutes, 24 hours, or 14 days), click View Trends.

The packet error percentage is calculated by comparing two values:

  • The total number of packets that are sent and received
  • The total number of packets with errors that are sent and received

If the packet-error percentage is high (that is, above 10 percent), the switch bandwidth usage might also be too high (a sign that the network is congested). Other causes for packet errors are faulty cabling and port misconfigurations, such as a duplex-mode mismatch. These problems can cause network users to experience intermittent connectivity or loss of connectivity to network resources (such as servers and printers) or to the Internet. Excessive collisions can cause transmission delays. For example, users might experience excessive delays in sending or receiving information through the network.

The Port Statistics window displays some of the types of packet errors collected by the switch. The type of packet error can help you to identify a more precise cause for some network problems.

To thoroughly monitor how the switch is handling network traffic, see

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Types of Packet Errors

These are types of packet errors.

Runt packets Packets that are smaller than the allowed minimum size (less than 64 bytes).
Giant packets Packets that are larger than the allowed maximum size (more than 1518 bytes).
Cyclic redundancy checksum (CRC) errors Errors generated by the originating LAN station or far-end device do not match the checksum calculated from the data received. On a LAN, this usually means noise or transmission problems on the LAN interface or the LAN bus itself. A high number of CRCs is usually the result of collisions or of a station sending bad data.
Overrun packets Packets that the receiving device was unable to receive.
Frame packets Packets received because of a CRC error and a noninteger number of octets. On a LAN, this is usually the result of collisions or a malfunctioning Ethernet device.
Ignored packets Packets that the interface ignores because the interface hardware is low on internal buffers. These buffers are different from the system buffers. Broadcast storms and bursts of noise can cause the ignored count to increase.

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Internal Temperature Status

The temperature status is only for switches with a temperature sensor and that support temperature threshold configuration.

The thermometer graphic displays these states:

Status Color Description
OK Green Switch internal temperature is within the acceptable temperature range.
Faulty Red

Switch internal temperature is above the upper temperature threshold.

See the switch installation instructions for the operating environment guidelines for the switch. The Support page provides a link to the switch documentation.

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Port Utilization and Port Errors

From the Port Utilization and Port Errors graphs, you can:

  • Click the Port Utilization radio button to display the Port Utilization graph. This graph displays the received usage (blue) and sent usage (purple) on each port. Move the pointer over the color-coded bars in the graph for the usage percentage for the specific ports.
  • Click the Port Errors radio button to display the Port Errors graph. This graph displays the total percentage of errors on each port.

Data is collected at each 60-second system refresh. To manually refresh the graph, click Refresh. For a graph that shows power utilization patterns over incremental instances in time (up to ten 60-second refresh cycles), click View Trends.

To have a better understanding on port performance, see:

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Port Utilization Graph

As you monitor usage on the ports, note whether the percentage of usage is what you expect during that given time of network activity. If usage is high when you expect it to be low, a problem might exist.

Bandwidth allocation can also be based on whether the connection is operating in half-duplex or full-duplex mode.

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Port Errors Graph

These are some of the reasons for errors received on and sent from the switch ports:

  • Bad cable connection
  • Defective ports
  • Firmware problems
  • Driver problems
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