Allied Telesis AT-S63 - Manual (Page 252)

Chapter 12: Event Logs and Syslog Servers
252 Section II: Advanced Operations
Event Log Overview
A managed switch is a complex piece of computer equipment that
includes both hardware and software. Multiple software features operate
simultaneously, interoperating with each other and processing large
amounts of network traffic. It is often difficult to determine exactly what is
happening when a switch appears not to be operating normally, or what
happened when a problem occurred.
The operation of an AT-9400 Series switch can be monitored by viewing
the event messages generated by the device. These events and the vital
information about system activity that they provide can help identify and
solve system problems. Event messages include the following information:
ˆ The time and date of an event
ˆ The severity of an event
ˆ The AT-S63 software module that generated the event
ˆ A description of the event
The event messages are stored in two event logs on the switch, One
event log is located in temporary memory and has a storage capacity of up
to 4,000 entries. The events in this log are purged whenever you reset or
power cycle the switch. The second log is located in permanent memory
and has a maximum storage capacity of 2,000 entries. Events in this log
are retained even when the switch is reset or power cycled. Both logs
store the same events messages. You can view either log to display the
events of the switch since the unit was last reset. But to view the events
that preceded a system reset, you must view the permanent event log.
A switch can also send its event messages to a syslog server on your
network. A syslog server can function as a central repository for events
from many different network devices.
In order for a switch to send its events to a syslog server, you must define
a syslog output by specifying the IP address of the syslog server along
with other information, such as the types of event messages the switch is
to send to the server. You can create up to 19 output definitions on a
switch. For instructions, refer to “Configuring Log Outputs” on page 264.
Note
The event logs, even when disabled, log all AT-S63 initialization
events that occur when the switch is reset or power cycled. Any
switch events that occur after AT-S63 initialization are entered into
the logs only if you enable the event log feature. The default setting
for the event log feature is enabled.