A snapshot is a capture of the critical internal state of your Cisco appliance at a specific point in time. It acts like a virtual picture of the appliance, with information such as the appliance configuration, logs, network status, and other relevant data.

Why are Snapshots important?

• Detailed Diagnostics:They provide a wealth of information that customer support can analyze to pinpoint the root cause of an issue. This data might include:

  • System logs: Recording events, errors, and configuration changes.

  • Network status: Showing active connections, traffic flow, and any network-related issues.

  • Version history: Highlighting recent software or firmware updates that might be relevant.

  • System state: Capturing the configuration, processes, and resources active at the time of the snapshot.

• Time Savings: Analyzing a snapshot is often faster than remotely logging into the appliance and manually gathering information. This means quicker resolution to your problem.

• Reproducibility: If the issue reoccurs, the snapshot allows customer support to recreate the exact appliance state for further investigation.

When are Snapshots Requested?

Customer support might request a snapshot when you open a ticket with an appliance issue, especially if the description is vague or the problem is intermittent. It is particularly helpful for:

• Unusual behavior: Snapshots capture the state during the anomaly, giving support crucial clues.

• Performance issues: Analyzing resource usage and network statistics within the snapshot helps identify bottlenecks or configuration problems.

• Software or firmware updates: Snapshots allow support to assess the impact of recent updates on your appliance.