Human brains process visual cues significantly faster than text. In a default Xshell terminal, a routing table ( show ip route ) or an interface status report ( show interfaces status ) appears as a uniform block of text.

Used for active states, operational interfaces, and successful protocols.

: Go to Tools > Options or use the keyboard shortcut (usually Ctrl + ,).

: Select a text or background color in the View area. Using Term Color changes just the text, which is often less distracting than full background highlights.

: Click Add to enter individual words or regular expressions.

These indicators require immediate attention. If these words appear on your screen, something is broken or a high-risk action is occurring.

Cisco logs use different formatting (e.g., leading asterisks). Add a rule specifically for % -prefixed messages.

3️⃣ Yellow/Orange: down , dampened , standby , disabled . Why? These are states that require attention but aren't necessarily critical errors (yet).

Reserved for shutdown states, boot errors, packet drops, and security violations.

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