QoSPrivileged EXEC

show policy-map interface

Displays the current QoS policy applied to an interface, including per-class statistics such as packets matched, bytes, and actions taken, used to verify and troubleshoot QoS configurations.

Syntax·Privileged EXEC

show policy-map interface

When to Use This Command

Verify that a QoS service policy is correctly applied to an interface and matching traffic as expected.
Troubleshoot why certain traffic is not being prioritized or shaped correctly.
Monitor bandwidth usage per class to ensure fairness and compliance with policy.
Check if policing or shaping actions are dropping or queuing packets excessively.

Command Examples

Basic show policy-map interface for a serial link

show policy-map interface serial 0/0/0

Serial0/0/0 

  Service-policy output: QOS_POLICY

    Class-map: VOICE (match-all)
      0 packets, 0 bytes
      5 minute offered rate 0 bps, drop rate 0 bps
      Match: ip dscp ef (46)
      Priority:
        Queueing
        queue limit 64 packets
        (queue depth/total drops/no-buffer drops) 0/0/0
        (pkts output/bytes output) 0/0

    Class-map: VIDEO (match-all)
      0 packets, 0 bytes
      5 minute offered rate 0 bps, drop rate 0 bps
      Match: ip dscp af41 (34)
      Bandwidth 30% (450 kbps)
        Queueing
        queue limit 64 packets
        (queue depth/total drops/no-buffer drops) 0/0/0
        (pkts output/bytes output) 0/0

    Class-map: class-default (match-any)
      0 packets, 0 bytes
      5 minute offered rate 0 bps, drop rate 0 bps
      Match: any 
      queue limit 64 packets
      (queue depth/total drops/no-buffer drops) 0/0/0
      (pkts output/bytes output) 0/0

Line 1: Interface name. Line 2: Direction (output) and policy name. For each class: class name and match type; packet/byte counters; 5-minute average offered and drop rates; match criteria; QoS action (priority, bandwidth, etc.); queueing statistics: queue limit, current queue depth, total drops, no-buffer drops; output packet/byte counters.

Show policy-map interface with policing statistics

show policy-map interface gigabitethernet 0/1

GigabitEthernet0/1 

  Service-policy input: POLICE_POLICY

    Class-map: BULK_DATA (match-all)
      1500 packets, 960000 bytes
      5 minute offered rate 64000 bps, drop rate 1000 bps
      Match: ip dscp af11 (10)
      police:
          cir 128000 bps, bc 8000 bytes, be 8000 bytes
        conformed 1400 packets, 896000 bytes; actions: transmit
        exceeded 100 packets, 64000 bytes; actions: drop
        violated 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop
        conformed 5 minute rate 60000 bps, exceed rate 4000 bps, violate rate 0 bps

    Class-map: class-default (match-any)
      5000 packets, 3200000 bytes
      5 minute offered rate 256000 bps, drop rate 0 bps
      Match: any

Shows input policy with policing. For each class: packet/byte counters, rates. Under 'police': CIR, Bc, Be; conformed/exceeded/violated packet/byte counts and actions; 5-minute rates for each category. Helps identify if traffic is being dropped due to policing.

Understanding the Output

The output is organized by interface and direction (input/output). Each class-map is listed with its match criteria and counters. Key fields: 'offered rate' shows traffic volume; 'drop rate' indicates packets dropped by QoS; 'queue depth' shows current queue occupancy (should be low); 'total drops' indicates packets dropped due to queue full; 'conformed/exceeded/violated' for policing shows how traffic is handled relative to CIR. High drop rates or queue depths suggest congestion or misconfiguration. For priority classes, ensure no drops. For bandwidth classes, verify bandwidth allocation matches policy.

CCNA Exam Tips

Remember that 'show policy-map interface' is used to verify QoS policies; the exam may ask you to interpret output to identify which class is dropping packets.

Know the difference between 'show policy-map' (displays policy definition) and 'show policy-map interface' (displays per-interface statistics).

Be able to identify if a class is using 'priority' or 'bandwidth' and what the queue limit indicates.

The exam may present output with high drop rates and ask you to troubleshoot (e.g., increase bandwidth or adjust queue limit).

Common Mistakes

Confusing 'show policy-map' with 'show policy-map interface' — the former shows configuration, the latter shows operational stats.

Forgetting to specify the interface direction (input/output) when applying policy; the command shows both directions if not specified.

Misinterpreting 'drop rate' as total drops instead of average rate; it's a 5-minute average in bps.

Related Commands

show class-map

Displays the configuration and match criteria of all class maps or a specific class map, used to verify QoS classification rules.

show policy-map

Displays the configuration and statistics of all policy maps applied to interfaces, used to verify QoS policies and monitor traffic class counters.

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