Dell Networking: How to Use PuTTY.exe to Save Output to a File
This article provides a step-by-step guide for using PuTTY.exe to gather the output of the "show tech-support" command.
Summary:This article provides a step-by-step guide for using PuTTY.exe to gather the output of the "show tech-support" command.
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Instructions
The following article is a step-by-step guide for using PuTTY.exe to gather the output of the show tech-support command sometimes requested by the Networking support team. Information on PuTTY.exe is widely available. All decisions regarding the download and installation of software must be consistent with the policies and procedures of your organization. PuTTY.exe is a popular tool, but this guide should not be interpreted as an explicit or implicit endorsement of this software.
Assumptions:
The hardware required to connect to the switch is in place and working.
An IP-based connection requires a network cable from the system to the switch. You must know the IP address that is assigned to the switch to use this option. If you are unsure or otherwise unable to access the IP address of the switch, you must use a serial connection.
A serial connection requires a serial cable, null modem cable, or rollover cable as determined by your specific hardware. If the system being used does not have a serial port, a USB-to-serial adapter is required.
The user can log in to the Privileged mode (console#) within the switch.
Note: At the time of this writing, this is the correct download link. PuTTY is freeware and should not require payment or account sign-up. PuTTY is a stand-alone executable that does not require installation.
Open PuTTY by double-clicking the PuTTY.exe application file
Click Session > Logging.
Select Printable Output.
Change the name of the output file as necessary and browse to the preferred storage location.
Click Session to enter the connection location.
Enter the session-specific information.
Enter the IP address of the switch.
Select Telnet or SSH (Telnet is the default on Dell switches, but not the default setting on PuTTY).
For a serial connection, perform the following:
Select Serial at the bottom of the left pane and verify the connection settings. The default settings for most switches are as follows:
Baud: 9600 or occasionally 115200
Data bits: 8
Stop bits: 1
Parity: None
Flow control: None
Note: The host operating system determines the COM interface. COM1 is used as an example, but this interface may already be reserved by the operating system. Within the Windows environment, verify the COM port within Device Manager. Many user’s guides indicate that flow control should be XON/XOFF. Explicitly listing it as None is shown here to remove negotiation compatibility issues with host operating systems.
Click Open.
A command prompt window opens and gives the user Command-Line Interface (CLI) access to the switch. If the prompt is as follows, it must be escalated to Privileged Exec mode using the enable command as shown.
console>
console> enable
By default, there is not an "enable password" required. However, in some switches this must be set using the web interface, or the password recovery process must be followed.
To allow uninterrupted output, use the following command:
console# terminal length 0
Run the desired commands to log output. The example uses the following command, and that is the most commonly collected network switch log.
show tech-support
When the prompt returns to console#, the log file should be complete and ready to be sent in as requested or archived as needed.
Note: Remember to return to step #2 and select None. Failure to do so could result in overwriting an existing file the next time PuTTY.exe is opened.