Customers may observe inconsistent or missing syslog messages when QSFP optics are inserted or removed on certain Juniper platforms. While legacy platforms log explicit “plugged in” or “not present” messages, newer EVO-based line cards and routers may only generate transceiver alarm clear/set messages instead. This article explains why this behavior occurs, which platforms are affected, and how to restore consistent optic insertion/removal logging using a supported workaround.

On Juniper routers such as PTX10001-36MR, PTX10004, and MX10008 with EVO-based line cards, QSFP optic insertion and removal events may not generate explicit syslog messages like:

• plugged in
• set to not present
• PICD_XCVR_INSERT
• PICD_XCVR_REMOVE

Instead, operators may only see indirect indications such as:

• PICD_XCVR_ALARM clear/set messages
• Interface link up/down events
• LACP state changes

This inconsistency complicates efforts to reliably track optic swaps in operational environments.

Platforms with Expected Logging

Older optics and non-EVO line cards (for example, LC2101) correctly log insertion/removal events:

qsfp-2/1/3 set to not present
qsfp-2/1/3 plugged in

Platforms with Missing Logs

Newer optics (2x100G, 400G QSFP-DD) on EVO-based platforms show:

• No explicit insert/remove syslog
• Only alarm clear/set messages such as:

PICD_XCVR_ALARM: Device Not Ready alarm clear

This behavior is seen on:

• PTX10001-36MR
• PTX10004
• MX10008 with JNP10K-LC9600

This issue is caused by a syslog severity mismatch on EVO platforms.

On affected Junos versions:

• PICD_XCVR_INSERT
• PICD_XCVR_REMOVE

are logged at severity info, not notice.

If the system syslog configuration is set to notice or higher, these messages are silently dropped.

This change primarily affects:

• EVO platforms
• EVO-based line cards (e.g., JNP10K-LC9600, LC4800)

This issue is resolved in later Junos and EVO releases where the severity of QSFP insertion and removal messages has been restored to notice. For systems running affected releases, the recommended workaround is to update the syslog configuration to capture info-level messages. After applying this change, explicit PICD_XCVR_INSERT and PICD_XCVR_REMOVE logs will be visible, allowing accurate tracking of optic insertion and removal events. There is no service impact associated with this issue, and the workaround is safe to apply in production environments.

Upgrade to a Junos release where the issue is fixed (24.4R2, 25.2R1, or later), or apply the workaround by updating the syslog configuration to include info severity:

set system syslog file messages any info

The PR https://prsearch.juniper.net/problemreport/PR1859581 addresses this issue.