The system uses Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) traps, syslog messages, emails, and the Call Home function to notify you when significant events are detected. Any combination of these notification methods can be used simultaneously. Notifications are normally sent immediately after an event is raised. However, there are some events that might occur because of service actions that are being performed. If a recommended service action is active, these events are notified only if they are still unfixed when the service action completes.
Only events recorded in the event log can be notified. Most CLI messages in response to some CLI commands are not recorded in the event log so do not cause an event notification.
Each event that the system detects is assigned a notification type of Error, Warning, Information, or Inventory. When you configure notifications, you specify where the notifications should be sent and which notification types are sent to that recipient. The following table describes the types of event notifications.
| Notification level | Description |
|---|---|
| Error | Error notification is sent to indicate a problem
that must be corrected as soon as possible. This notification indicates a serious problem with the system. For example, the event that is being reported could indicate a loss of redundancy in the system, and it is possible that another failure could result in loss of access to data. The most typical reason that this type of notification is sent is because of a hardware failure, but some configuration errors or fabric errors also are included in this notification level. Error notifications can be configured to be sent as a call home message to your support center. |
| Warning | A warning notification is sent to indicate a
problem or unexpected condition with the system. Always immediately
investigate this type of notification to determine the effect that
it might have on your operation, and make any necessary corrections. A warning notification does not require any replacement parts and therefore should not require involvement from your support center. The allocation of notification type Warning does not imply that the event is less serious than one that has notification level Error. |
| Information | An informational notification is sent to indicate that an expected event has occurred. No remedial action is required when these notifications are sent. |
| Inventory | Inventory notifications contain summaries of system status and configuration settings. |
Events with notification type "Error" or "Warning" are shown as alerts in the event log. Events with notification type "Information" are shown as messages.