Allied Telesis AT-S62 - Manual (Page 202)

Chapter 13: Event Log
Section II: Advanced Operations 202
Event Log and Syslog Server Overview
A managed switch is a complex piece of computer equipment that
includes both hardware and software components. 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 occurs.
A network manager’s major task is to monitor the network functions and
to deal with problems as they arise. One method for monitoring a
switch’s activity is by viewing its event messages. These messages can
provide vital information about network activity on an AT-8500 Series
switch that can help you identify and solve network problems. The
information includes the time and date when an event occurred, the
event’s severity, the AT-S62 module that generated the event, and an
event description.
There are two ways to view a switch’s event messages. The first is by
viewing the event log. The AT-8500 Series switch has one event log in
temporary memory with a maximum storage capacity of 4,000 events.
You can view this log from a local or remote management session. The
log is not a permanent form of storage. All the events are purged
whenever the switch is reset or power cycled. For instructions on how to
view the log, refer to Displaying the Event Log on page 204.
The second way to view events is to have the switch send the event
messages to a syslog server using the syslog protocol. The advantage to
this approach is that a syslog server can store events from many
different network devices, making it a central repository for your
network event messages.
In order for a switch to send its events to a syslog server you have to
create a syslog server definition. The definition includes the IP address of
the syslog server along with other information, such as the types of
messages you want the switch to send. You can create up to nineteen
server definitions on a switch. For instructions on how to create a syslog
server definition, refer to Managing Syslog Server Definitions on page
211.