Symptoms and causes of fabric problems

Problems within a switched fabric may be surfaced in different ways. This topic describes some common issues within a fabric and their possible causes.

Parent topic: Start of changeDiagnosing problems in a switched fabricEnd of change

Symptoms of problems within the fabric

Symptoms of a fabric problem can be externalized through console messages or information within displays or reports. Some common symptoms that may develop and examples of message IDs that may be displayed as a result of a problem within the fabric are:
  • Path is not available (IOS001E, IOS002A)
  • Errors on channel (IOS050I)
  • Missing interrupts (IOS071I)
  • Time out errors (IOS051I)
  • Long command response time one or more channel paths (for example, RMF™ I/O Queuing report)
  • Alert messages from the switch indicating problems within the fabric
  • Fenced port
  • High port error counts
  • High port utilization

Causes of fabric problems

Errors within the fabric can be caused by either software or hardware problems. Some of the potential issues that can cause problems in the fabric are:
  • Defective cables or optics
  • Congestion within the fabric
  • I/O or switch configuration problems, such as incorrect cabling or routing
  • Channel or control unit hardware or firmware issues
  • I/O configuration definition errors