How to Monitor Cisco Switch
Level of difficulty: Difficult
The Cisco switch is a network switch. This device can connect network segments. The network switch can have ports with different speeds. Small networks usually use single switch. Those that are mid-to-large networks use much larger switches to easily connect to the network and Internet.
Materials Needed:- A computer
- a Cisco switch
- a Web browser
- LAN
Step 1
First, you need to know what the DNS or IP address of the Cisco switch is. You should also know the login information of the switch.
Step 2
You must log into the switch. You can do this by typing the IP address or DNS of the Cisco switch into the address bar of your Web browser. You must enter the needed login information to access the switch.
Step 3
Know the switch configuration. You will need to know the configuration of the Cisco switch so that you can properly monitor it. Type the command-line 'show running-config' on the command-switch to know what the configuration of the switch is.
Step 4
You will also need to know the interface port status. Usually, you will log into the port to make changes with the configuration of the switch, or to troubleshoot a switch port. So, to quickly monitor the switch if the configuration needs changes, you can type 'show interface status' in the command line. This command will show you every port. It will tell you if the port is properly communicating with the device. It will also show the port speed.
Step 5
You can type in commands to the switch if you want to change the interface speed. You can set the speed on auto, 10, or 100 if your Cisco switch is 10/100 Ethernet ports. You can only set the switch to negotiate or not negotiate port speed if you use Gigabit Ethernet ports.
Step 6
In enabling and disabling the interface of the Cisco switch, you can use the command 'shutdown' and 'no shutdown'. The command 'shutdown' will disable the interface. It will show a message saying that the system is down and when you type the command 'no shutdown', it will put the link down and then put it back up.
Step 7
You should know how to save the settings of the switch to properly monitor it. The Cisco switch does not automatically save the changes you made in the configuration. This is why you must save your configuration. You can save your configurations using a textbook method. To save the configuration, type 'command-line Switch# copy running-config startup-config' or 'Switch# wr'. You can use the 'command-line Switch# copy running-config tftp' if you have a TFTP server running.