All Meraki MS switches offer a detailed suite of tools and features for comprehensive network analysis, troubleshooting, and control. This section briefly introduces some of the details and features available directly through the Dashboard to assist in troubleshooting and understanding your deployment.
Dashboard Reporting
For each device in a network, the Dashboard reports a number of details that can be useful when monitoring or troubleshooting a device. We start by reviewing some of the device reporting that can be useful for initial troubleshooting and scoping of an issue before looking at several Live Tools that are also available to further assist in troubleshooting.
• Switch port details: As shown in Figure 7-41, accessing the Summary tab of a switch provides a visual representation of all the switch’s ports and their general status. Clicking a specific port provides a detailed status of that port. The connectivity graph displays a time bar graph of the connection state of each switch over the past 24 hours.
Figure 7-41 Switch Port Details Displayed on the Dashboard
• Switch serial numbers: The Meraki platform displays unique serial numbers for all devices, including for both Meraki and Catalyst switches. This allows for easy identification and management of each switch within the network, regardless of whether it is a Meraki or Catalyst model.
• Quick Launch to Topology: This feature on the switch details page in the Dashboard lets you quickly jump to view any switch in the Network-wide > Topology page. This feature provides a streamlined way to view specific switches within the broader network topology.
• Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) Info: This section of the device details page (see Figure 7-42) provides crucial information about the STP status and operation for individual switches or a logical switch stack.
Figure 7-42 Detailed STP Information for a Switch Stack
• Event Log: Similar to other Meraki products, the Event Log feature on Meraki switches provides a detailed record of operational status and events for each switch. Shown in Figure 7-43, the Event Log offers valuable insights into the switch’s historical activity, including changes, errors, and warnings. This feature is handy for troubleshooting, allowing network administrators to track events over time, and identify patterns that may indicate potential issues.
Figure 7-43 Example of Dashboard-Hosted Event Logs for the MS Platform
• Wired client details: This feature provides extensive information about each wired client connected to or passing traffic through a switch on the Client Details page (see Figure 7-44) for that client. This includes the client’s MAC address, IP address, VLAN, and nearest switch port. A visual representation of each client’s path through the network is also provided, alongside real-time troubleshooting data. Furthermore, detailed Application Visibility and Control (AVC) data for each wired client provides comprehensive network usage and performance insights.
Figure 7-44 Wired Client Details Page Shown in the Dashboard for a Client Connected Directly to an MS Switch
• Automated root cause analysis: This Dashboard-powered feature assists in identifying the underlying causes of network issues, such as VLAN mismatch CRC errors, among others. In the example of a VLAN mismatch, shown in Figure 7-45, the system provides suggested fixes, such as adding missing VLANs or modifying the native VLAN of one port. This feature greatly simplifies the troubleshooting process by automatically analyzing and highlighting potential issues from the Dashboard.
Figure 7-45 RCA for a VLAN Mismatch on a Cloud-Managed Catalyst 9000 with a Suggested Fix
