Port Status

If the switch has link problems, such as traffic that is not being received on a switch port, verify the port status, and verify that the port settings are correct. You should also verify that the settings of switch port before connecting a device to it.

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Basic Port Status

Column Explanation
Port

The number of the switch port, including port type (such as Fa for Fast Ethernet and Gi for Gigabit Ethernet), the base switch or the switch expansion module number (1, 2, or 3), and the specific port number. For example:

  • Fa1/1 is Fast Ethernet port 1 on the base switch.
  • Fa2/1 is Fast Ethernet port 1 on the the first switch expansion module.
  • Fa3/1 is Fast Ethernet port 1 on the the second switch expansion module.
Description

The description of the port.

We recommend providing a port description to help identify the port during monitoring and troubleshooting. The description can be the location of the connected device or the name of the person using the connected device.

Status

The state of the port. The state can be up, down, or administratively (manually) enabled or disabled. For explanations of the colors used in this column, click Legend.

We recommend disabling the port if the port is not in use and is not attached to a device.

An example of when to change this setting is during troubleshooting. You can troubleshoot a suspected unauthorized connection by administratively disabling the port.

VLAN

The VLAN ID to which the port belongs (also known as its VLAN membership). The default is 1.

If the port belongs to more than one VLAN, trunk appears in this column. If the port is configured as a router, routed appears in this column.

Note: To assign a port to one or more VLANs, see Assign a Port to a VLAN (VLAN Memberships).

Devices that are attached to the switch ports in the same VLAN can communicate with each other and can share the same data broadcasts and system resources. Devices that are attached to switch ports in different VLANs cannot communicate with each other through the switch. Communication between VLANs must go through a router or a Layer 3 switch.

Speed

The operating speed of the port. The speed can be 10, 100, or 1000 Mb/s. .

An example of when to change this setting is during troubleshooting. If you are troubleshooting a connectivity problem, you can change this setting to see if the switch port and connected device have a speed mismatch.

Duplex

The duplex state of the port. The duplex mode can be full or half duplex.

On Gigabit Ethernet ports only, you cannot set the port to half duplex if the port speed is set to Auto.

An example of when to change this setting is during troubleshooting. If you are troubleshooting a connectivity problem, you can change this setting to verify if the switch port and connected device have a duplex mismatch.

Auto-MDIX

The state of the automatic medium-dependent interface crossover (auto-MDIX) feature.

Media Type

The active port type (either the RJ-45 port or the SFP module port) of a dual-purpose uplink port. The type can be:

  • SFP if the SFP module port should be active.
  • RJ45 if the RJ-45 port should be active.
  • Auto (autonegotiation) if either port can be active.

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