ip cef fatal errors

[dhananjay95929]

I am unable to start IP cef on a WAN edge router and receive the following errors in the log. I am entering the command "ip cef" in global config mode.

Jun 12 19:28:59.379: %SYS-2-MALLOCFAIL: Memory allocation of 65536 bytes failed from 0x60052330, alignment 0

Pool: Processor  Free: 481612  Cause: Memory fragmentation

Alternate Pool: None  Free: 0  Cause: No Alternate pool

-Process= "CEF: IPv4 process", ipl= 0, pid= 262,  -Traceback= 0x60017B78z 0x6002E7BCz 0x6004D858z 0x61E233BCz 0x61E16DC0z 0x61E172A4z 0x61E175B0z 0x61E1B8ECz 0x61E1BD5Cz 0x61ED4A70z 0x61E189C8z 0x61EC7B58z 0x61EB19D0z 0x6358C06Cz 0x6358C050z

Jun 12 19:29:02.467: %COMMON_FIB-3-NOMEM: Memory allocation failure for prefix in IPv4 CEF [0x61E27F6C] (fatal) (0 subsequent failures).

Jun 12 19:29:02.467: %COMMON_FIB-4-DISABLING: IPv4 CEF is being disabled due to a fatal error.

Jun 12 19:38:05.362: %HSRP-5-STATECHANGE: GigabitEthernet0/0 Grp 3 state Standby -> Active

Jun 12 19:38:09.278: %SYS-2-MALLOCFAIL: Memory allocation of 65536 bytes failed from 0x600520A8, alignment 16

Pool: Processor  Free: 485436  Cause: Memory fragmentation

Alternate Pool: None  Free: 0  Cause: No Alternate pool

-Process= "CEF: IPv4 process", ipl= 3, pid= 262,  -Traceback= 0x60017B78z 0x60031D5Cz 0x6004D5D0z 0x61E87DD0z 0x61E89B18z 0x61E8A134z 0x61E83198z 0x61E152E8z 0x61E2FF4Cz 0x61E174F8z 0x61E175B0z 0x61E1B8ECz 0x61E1BD5Cz 0x61ED4A70z 0x61E189C8z 0x61EC7B58z

Jun 12 19:38:09.306: %COMMON_FIB-3-NOMEM: Memory allocation failure for validating prefix in IPv4 CEF [0x61E3E2F4] (fatal) (157 subsequent failures).

Jun 12 19:38:09.306: %COMMON_FIB-4-DISABLING: IPv4 CEF is being disabled due to a fatal error.

Jun 12 19:38:09.802: %HSRP-5-STATECHANGE: GigabitEthernet0/1 Grp 207 state Standby -> Active

Jun 12 19:38:09.802: %HSRP-5-STATECHANGE: GigabitEthernet0/1 Grp 207 state Active -> Speak

Jun 12 19:38:09.802: %COMMON_FIB-4-DISABLING: IPv4 CEF is being disabled due to a fatal error.

Jun 12 19:38:16.427: %HSRP-5-STATECHANGE: GigabitEthernet0/0 Grp 3 state Active -> Speak

Jun 12 19:38:18.371: %HSRP-5-STATECHANGE: GigabitEthernet0/1 Grp 207 state Speak -> Standby

Jun 12 19:38:46.143: %ALIGN-3-SPURIOUS: Spurious memory access made at 0x61E10D60z  reading 0x3C

Jun 12 19:38:46.143: %ALIGN-3-TRACE: -Traceback= 0x61E10D60z 0x61E20FE8z 0x61E27CE8z 0x61E2C9C0z 0x61E85708z 0x61EB343Cz 0x61EB377Cz 0x61AEDCACz

[dhananjay95929]

The memory information on this router is as follows:

                     Head             Total(b)        Used(b)         Free(b)           Lowest(b)      Largest(b)

Processor   67F978C0   361137980  323369768    37768212      439948          36740924

I/O                2D800000   41942528    17765828       24176700    23494368       24079388

Total: 344.408 MB

Used: 308.3894 MB

Free: 36.01857 MB

[paolo bevilacqua]

Update IOS and check again.

[dhananjay95929]

I enabled it on another router with the same version of IOS and did not receive the same errors. It was successful.

The IOS version on this router is as follows -

Cisco IOS Software, 3800 Software (C3845-ADVENTERPRISEK9-M), Version 12.4(24)T7, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc2)

Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport

Copyright (c) 1986-2012 by Cisco Systems, Inc.

Compiled Tue 28-Feb-12 12:10 by prod_rel_team

[Reza Sharifi]

Usually Traceback messages indicate memory issues.  Open a ticket with TAC and send them the error message.

HTH

[dhananjay95929]

I found the cause of the problem from Cisco's website. I do not have enough free memory to execute the ip cef command.

%SYS-2-MALLOCFAIL: Memory allocation of 65536 bytes failed from 0x60052330, alignment 0

Pool: Processor  Free: 481612  Cause: Memory fragmentation

Alternate Pool: None  Free: 0  Cause: No Alternate pool

-Process= "CEF: IPv4 process", ipl= 0, pid= 262,  -Traceback= 0x60017B78z 0x6002E7BCz 0x6004D858z 0x61E233BCz 0x61E16DC0z 0x61E172A4z 0x61E175B0z 0x61E1B8ECz 0x61E1BD5Cz 0x61ED4A70z 0x61E189C8z 0x61EC7B58z 0x61EB19D0z 0x6358C06Cz 0x6358C050z

%SYS-2-MALLOCFAIL: Memory allocation of [X] bytes failed from 0x6015EC84,

pool [Pool], alignment 0 -Process= "[Process]" ipl= 6, pid=5

[X] = the number of bytes the router tried to allocate, but could not find enough free memory to do so

[Pool] indicates whether the processor memory ('Pool Processor') or the packet memory ('pool I/O') is affected. High end routers (7000, 7500 series) have their buffers in main dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), so a lack of packet memory will be reported as "pool processor". 7200 series and Versatile Interface Processor (VIP) cards may also report errors in pool Protocol Control Information ('pool PCI')" for the packet memory.

[Process] is the process that was affected by the lack of memory.