Core issue
This message indicates that the firmware of the specified module has detected a parity error. The system automatically resets the module to recover from the error. A crashinfo file on also appear on this module. The error message may be due to transient or hardware failure. If the error message occurs for one time then it is transient issue. This is automatically recovered by the system. The symptom for the parity can be identified by the CPO_ECC in the cache memory. The ECC represents the parity error has been corrected by the system itself.
These are the two kinds of parity errors:
- Soft parity errors
These errors occur when an energy level within the chip (for example, a one or a zero) changes. When referenced by the CPU, such errors cause the system to either crash (if the error is in an area that is not recoverable) or they recover other systems (for example, a CyBus complex restarts if the error was in the packet memory (MEMD)). In case of a soft parity error, there is no need to swap the board or any of the components.
- Hard parity errors
These errors occur when there is a chip or board failure that corrupts data. In this case, you need to re-seat or replace the affected component, which usually involves a memory chip swap or a board swap. There is a hard parity error when multiple parity errors occur at the same address. There are more complicated cases that are harder to identify. In general, if you see more than one parity error in a particular memory region in a relatively short period, you can consider it to be a hard parity error.
The error message looks similar to this:
Mar 9 12:12:24.427 GMT: %PM_SCP-SP-1-LCP_FW_ERR: Module 6 is experiencing thefollowing error: Pinnacle #0 PB parity error. Tx path. Status=0x0042
Resolution
Studies have shown that soft parity errors are 10 to 100 times more frequent than hard parity errors. Therefore, Cisco highly recommends you to wait for a hard parity error before you replace anything. This greatly reduces the impact on your network.
If you need further assistance, open a case with Cisco Technical Support.
Device connected to switch
Another Switch
Error message
%PM_SCP-SP-1-LCP_FW_ERR
