May 25

Collecting diagnostic information for the vSphere Client or VMware Infrastructure Client (KB: 1003687)

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Purpose

VMware Technical Support uses a set of diagnostic information obtained from our products when addressing a support request (SR). This diagnostic information contains product specific logs and configuration files from the host on which the product is run. This information is gathered using a specific script or tool within the product.
 
The collected diagnostic information is then uploaded to VMware Technical Support. To uniquely identify your information, use the SR number you received when you opened your SR.
 
This article provides steps to collect diagnostic information for VMware Virtual Infrastructure from the VMware Infrastructure (VI)Client.

Resolution

Manually collecting logs for the VI Client bundled with VirtualCenter 2.0.x

VirtualCenter does not collect VI Client logs. To manually collect data:
  1. Log in to the machine running the VI Client as the user who encountered the error that prompted the SR.
  2. Go to C:\Documents and Settings\User\Local Settings\Temp\vpx

    Where User represents the name of the logged in user.

  3. Compress and archive all of the VI Client log files and send it to Technical Support along with the downloaded logs.

Manually collecting logs for the vSphere Client or VI Client

The vSphere Client and VI Client are bundled with ESX or vCenter Server. These steps work for both vSphere Client and VI Client.
 
vCenter does not collect VI Client logs. To manually collect data:
  1. Log in to the machine running the vSphere Client or VI Client as the user who encountered the error that prompted the SR.
  2. Navigate to the following directory depending on the OS version:
    • Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 (32-bit): C:\Documents and Settings\User\Local Settings\Application Data\VMware\vpx 
    • Windows 7 or Server 2008 (64-bit): C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\VMware\vpx 
  3. Compress and archive all of the vSphere Client or VI Client log files and send it to Technical Support along with the downloaded logs.

Downloading diagnostic data from the VI Client

To download diagnostic data from the VI Client:

  1. Log in as an administrator to VirtualCenter with the VI Client, or log in directly to an ESX host as a root user.
  2. Click File > Export > Export Diagnostic Data. The Save Diagnostic Data window appears:

    toto

  3. If you logged in as an administrator to VirtualCenter with the VI Client, the Diagnostic Data section appears. In this section:
    1. Select the host(s) for which you want to collect data.
    2. Select Include information from VirtualCenter server if you want to download diagnostic information from the VirtualCenter server.

      Note      : The Diagnostic Data section does not appear if you are connected directly to an ESX host. Skip to step 4.

  4. To download the diagnostic data to a specified location, click Browse and specify a location.
  5. Click OK.

    Note: You may receive a Certificate error during the download. This does not mean that the download has failed. Click Ignore to continue. 

When the download is complete, the log bundle(s) appear in the folder you specified:
  • For VirtualCenter, the log is named vc-support-xxxxx.zip, where xxxxx represents the date and time that the log was generated

  • For an ESX host, the log is named servername-esxsupport-xxxx.tgz, where servername represents the name of the server

Additional Information

Note: Starting with vSphere 5.5, the vSphere Client is deprecated. For information on using the vSphere Web Client, see Collecting diagnostic information for ESX/ESXi hosts and vCenter Server using the vSphere Web Client (2032892).


Posted in Uncategorized
May 25

Collecting diagnostic information for ESX/ESXi hosts and vCenter Server using the vSphere Web Client (KB: 2032892)

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Purpose

This article provides steps to collect diagnostic information for ESX/ESXi hosts and the vCenter Server using the vSphere Web Client.

Note: For more information, see the vSphere Monitoring and Performance Guide. This guide contains definitive information. If there is a discrepancy between the guide and the article, assume the guide is correct.

Resolution

Rating: 5/5

When the vSphere Web Client is connected to the vCenter Server system, you can select hosts from which to generate and download system log files and the option to include vCenter Server and vSphere Web client logs.

Note: This functionality was added in the vSphere Web Client 5.1. It is not available in previous versions.

To collect ESX/ESXi and vCenter Server diagnostic data:

  1. Start the vSphere Web Client and log in to the vCenter Server system.
  2. Under Inventory Lists, select vCenter Servers.
  3. Click the vCenter Server that contains the ESX/ESXi hosts from which you want to export logs.
  4. Click the Monitor tab and click System Logs.
  5. Click Export System Logs.
  6. Select the ESX/ESXi hosts from which you want to export logs.
  7. Select the Include vCenter Server and vSphere Web Client logs option. This step is optional.
  8. Click Next.
  9. Select the system logs that are to be exported.
  10. Select Gather performance data to include performance data information in the log files.

    Note: You can update the duration and interval time between which you want to collect the data.

  11. Click Next.
  12. Click Generate Log Bundle. The Download Log Bundles dialog appears when the Generating Diagnostic Bundle task completes.
  13. Click Download Log Bundle to save it to your local computer.

    Note: The host or vCenter Server generates .zip bundles containing the log files. The Recent Tasks panel shows the Generate diagnostic bundles task in progress.

  14. After the download completes, click Finish or generate another log bundle.

Note: You can use the events log to troubleshoot issues, particularly when trying to determine a timestamp.

To export the events log:

  1. Click File > Export > Export Events.
  2. Browse to a location to save the log bundle.
  3. Choose a time frame to export and click OK.
  4. Choose the format in which to export and click Save.

Additional Information

Note: You can also you use the Log Browser feature in the vSphere Web Client to view, search, and export one or more vCenter Server or ESXi log files. For more information, see Using the Log Browser to view, search, and export Logs for troubleshooting (2032888).

See Also


Posted in Uncategorized
May 25

Troubleshooting the configuration of vCenter Single Sign On within the vCenter Server 5.1 Appliance (KB: 2033152)

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Symptoms

  • Cannot configure the vCenter Server Appliance.
  • Configuring the vCenter Server Appliance fails.
  • You see one of these errors:
    • An unexpected error has occurred during the database operation. Please double check the database configuration.
    • Invalid database user or administrator name or password.
    • Failed to authenticate the SSO administrator user
    • The user or group supplied for default vCenter administrator does not exist
    • Possible duplicate registration of a service with SSO detected.
    • Failed to connect to VMware lookup service https://servername:7444/lookupservice/sdk – SSL certificate verification failed
    • Failed to communicate with the vCenter Single Sign On Server http://servername:7444/ims/STSService

Purpose

This article provides steps to troubleshoot issues while configuring vCenter Single Sign On on the vCenter Server Appliance. It helps you to eliminate common causes for the problem by verifying the scope of the problem as well as configuration and database related problems that could cause an issue.

Resolution

Validate that each troubleshooting step below is true for your environment. Each step will provide instructions or a link to a document, in order to eliminate possible causes and take corrective action as necessary. The steps are ordered in the most appropriate sequence to isolate the issue and identify the proper resolution. Do not skip a step.
  1. If you encounter errors while configuring an external database, perform these steps:

    1. Validate the configuration of the database server being used for SSO. For more information, see the Required Information for Installing or Upgrading vCenter Single Sign On, Inventory Service, and vCenter Server section of the vSphere Installation and Setup Guide.
    2. Validate the database connectivity, including username, password, and server details used to connect to the SSO database server. This can be done by resetting the password (per the appropriate database vendor steps) to a known value and then attempting the configuration again. To reconfigure and test the database connection, see Configuring vCenter Single Sign On connectivity with the vCenter Server Appliance (2033829).
    3. Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance and review the /var/log/vmware/sso/utils/sso_servicecfg.log file for more information about the error.

  2. If you encounter errors while configuring an external SSO server, perform these steps:

    1. If you have had this server attached to the SSO server before with the same IP, validate that the application users that were created do not still exist. Users are not automatically deleted.

      To remove the previous users:

      1. Login to the vSphere Web Client as an SSO administrator and navigate to Administration > SSO Users and Groups
      2. Click Application Users.
      3. Check for user names and descriptions that are associated with the appliance you are trying to attach. These users have the IP of the appliance in the name or description.

    2. Validate the user that is being used in the Account with right to register vCenter with the SSO server field. This user must be a user with SSO administrative privileges. By default, this is either admin@system-domain (with the password selected during installation of SSO) if the server is running on a windows system or root if you are configuring to point to another vCenter server Appliance system. If one account is failing, try to configure another user and attempt to register with this user. For more information, see Configuring vCenter Single Sign On connectivity with the vCenter Server Appliance (2033829).
    3. If you are using a group, such as the built in administrators group in Windows, try using a user instead of the group to the configuration and then try to log in with this user. If this works, check the /var/log/vmware/sso/utils/sso_servicecfg.log for more troubleshooting information.
    4. Try qualifying the user name. The account with permissions to register vCenter Server with the SSO server field only takes email style qualifications, for example, user@domainor root@localos. This ensures that an incorrect account is not used and allows for the sign in to proceed with the proper qualification. For more information on the default users and qualifications, see Understanding and troubleshooting vCenter Single Sign On users, groups and login qualifications (2033875).
    5. Validate whether the account is locked or disabled by logging in as an SSO admin user. By default this is admin@system-domain or root. This user account can unlock/enable the user. The default timeout for an account to be unlocked automatically is 15 minutes. For more information on validating the account status or to change the SSO password or lockout policies, see Configuring and troubleshooting vCenter Single Sign On password and lockout policies for accounts (2033823).
    6. Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance and check the /var/log/vmware/sso/utils/sso_servicecfg.log file for more troubleshooting information.

  3. If you encounter an issue while enabling active directory authentication, perform these steps:

    1. Check if the Active Directory instance was automatically discovered by SSO.

      To check if the Active Directory instance was automatically discovered by SSO:

      1. Log in to the vSphere Web Client as an SSO administrator.
      2. Navigate to Administration > Sign-on and Discovery > Configuration.
      3. Click the Identity Sources tab and review the list for the instance in question.

    2. If it the Active Directory instance is not automatically discovered:

      1. Check the time difference between the vCenter Server Appliance and the Active Directory Domain controllers. If the time is off by more than 5 minutes, Kerboros authentication fails and, therefore, automatic discovery fails
      2. Verify that each domain conntroller has as properly configured PTR records in DNS and ensure that the contents of the PTR record are accurate. To check this from the vCenter Server Appliance shell, use the DIG command:

        dig my-controller.my-ad.com
        …
        ;; ANSWER SECTION:
        my-controller.my-ad.com (…) IN A <controller IP address>
        …
        # dig -x <controller IP address>
        …
        ;; ANSWER SECTION:
        <IP-in-reverse>.in-addr.arpa. (…) IN PTR
        my-controller.my-ad.com
        …

      3. If the domain controllers have SSL enabled, verify that the SSL certificate is still valid.
      4. R estart the vCenter Server Appliance and try the configuration again.
      5. If you are using an External vCenter SSO Source, try restarting the source and try the configuration again.
      6. Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance and review the /var/log/vmware/vpx/sso_cfg.log file for more troubleshooting information.

    3. Try adding the identity source manually to see if you are able to add a source that is not automatically discovered. For more information, see the Add a vCenter Single Sign On Identity Source section of the vSphere Security Guide.

      Note: You cannot use the Use windows session authentication feature if you add the identity source manually.

    4. Try qualifying the user name. The account with permissions to register vCenter Server with the SSO server field only takes email style qualifications, for example, user@domainor root@localos. This ensures that an incorrect account is not used and allows for the sign in to proceed with the proper qualification. For more information on the default users and qualifications, see Understanding and troubleshooting vCenter Single Sign On users, groups and login qualifications (2033875).
    5. Log in to the vCenter Server Appliance and review the /var/log/vmware/sso/utils/sso_servicecfg.log and the /var/log/vmware/vpx/sso_cfg.log files for more troubleshooting information.
Note: If your problem still exists after trying the steps in this article:

Additional Information

See Also


Posted in Uncategorized
May 25

Location of vCenter Single Sign-On log files for vCenter Server 5.1 and 5.5 (KB: 2033430)

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Purpose

This article provides the default location of Single Sign-On (SSO) log files. It may be necessary to use these log files when troubleshooting issues and VMware Support may request these files when creating a Support Request.

Resolution

The SSO logs are placed in a different directory on disk depending on the vSphere version and the deployed platform:

vSphere 5.1 using vCenter Single Sign-On 5.1:

  • vCenter Server 5.1.x on Windows Server 2003 – C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\SSOServer\logs\
  • vCenter Server 5.1.x on Windows Server 2008/2012 – C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\SSOServer\logs\
  • vCenter Server Virtual Appliance 5.1.x – /var/log/vmware/sso/
vSphere 5.5 using vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5:
  • vCenter Server 5.5.x on 2003 – %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\CIS\logs\
  • vCenter Server 5.5.x and 2008, 2012 – C:\ProgramData\VMware\CIS\logs\
  • vCenter Server Virtual Appliance 5.5.x – /var/log/vmware/sso/

    Note: If the service is running under a specific user, the logs may be located in the profile directory of that user instead of %ALLUSERSPROFILE%.

vCenter Single Sign-On 5.1.0

The SSO installation logs are located in the Temp folder of the user that installed the service and can be found by using the %TEMP% environment variable in Windows Explorer.
 
The log files provided by SSO includes:
  • vminst.log – SSO installer log
  • vm_vim_ls.log – SSO Lookup Service log
  • vim-sso-msi.log – MSI installer for SSO installation log – verbose
  • vim-sso-javalib.log – SSO database operations
  • Identity Source Active Directory information is only available in the VMware vCenter Server Appliance at /var/log/vmware/vpx/sso_cfg.log.
SSO logs grouped by component and purpose include:
  • catalina.date.log – Standard Tomcat logs
  • imsTrace.log and imsSystem.log – RSA’s Castle logs
  • ssoAdminServer.log – SSO admin server
  • lookupServer.log – Lookup server log
  • replicationTransport.log – Replication

You can find the database configuration information at:

  • C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\SSOServer\webapps\ims\web-inf\classes\jndi.properties
  • C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\SSOServer\webapps\lookupservice\WEB-INF\classes\config.properties
The Single Sign-On Command Line Interface log is located at C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\SSOServer\utils\logs.v.
 

vCenter Single Sign-On 5.5.0

The SSO installation logs are located in the Temp folder of the user that installed the service and can be found by using the %TEMP% environment variable in Windows Explorer.

 

The log files provided by SSO include:
  • vminst.log – SSO installer log
  • vim-sso-msi.log – MSI installer verbose logs for SSO installation
  • vim_ssoreg.log – SSO Service log
  • exported_sso.properties – Endpoint information about each of the SSO Solution Users and identity sources extracted from previous vCenter Single Sign On 5.1.0 instance
  • vim-openssl-msi.log – MSI installer verbose log for OpenSSL installation
  • vim-python-msi.log – MSI installer verbose log for Python installation
  • vim-kfw-msi.log – MSI installer verbose log for MIT Kerberos installation

SSO logs grouped by component and purpose include:

  • vmdird\vdcpromo.log – Promotion and demotion operation information for the SSO instance when joined or removed from a linked configurations
  • vmdird\vdcsetupIdu.log – VMware Directory Service setup post-installation log containing information about the localhost name
  • vmdird\vmdir.log – Health reports for the VMware Directory Service (VMDir) service and the VMDir database
  • vmkdcd\vmkdcd.log – Key Distribution Center (kdc) run-time log, reports ports conflicts preventing the service from starting
  • vmware-sso\vmware-sts-idmd.log – VMware Identity Management service run-time logs, time-stamped records of user attempts when accessing SSO for administrative purposes
  • vmware-sso\vmware-sts.ldmd-perf.log – VMware Identity Management service performance counter logs
  • vmware-sso\VMwareIdentityMgmtService. date.log – Commons Daemon log once the Identity Management Service has started

To gather a SSO support bundle for vSphere 5.1 and vSphere 5.5, click Start > All Programs > VMware > Generate vCenter Single Sign-On log bundle. This creates a folder on the server desktop.

Additional Information


Posted in Uncategorized
May 23

Collecting diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server 4.x/5.x (KB: 1011641)

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Symptoms

VMware Technical Support routinely requests diagnostic information from you when a support request is handled. This diagnostic information contains product specific logs and configuration files from the host on which the product is run. The information is gathered using a specific script or tool for each product.

This article provides procedures for obtaining diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server.

The diagnostic information collected can then be uploaded to VMware Technical Support. To uniquely identify your information, use the Support Request (SR) number you received when you opened your Support Request.

Resolution

Diagnostic information can be collected from vCenter Server using these methods. Select the method most appropriate to your environment.

Collecting diagnostic information using VMware vSphere Client

You can use the VMware vSphere or VI Client to collect diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server at the same time as from managed ESXi/ESX hosts.

To collect the diagnostic information using the vSphere Client:

  1. Connect to vCenter Server using the vSphere Client.
  2. Start collecting diagnostic information. For more information, see Collecting diagnostic information for VMware ESXi/ESX using the vSphere Client (653).
  3. Select the checkbox to include information from vCenter Server.
  4. The log bundle appears in the specified folder when the download is complete. The log bundle is named with the current date and time. For example:

    VMware-vCenter-support-yyyy–mm–dd@ HH–MM–SS.zip

Collecting diagnostic information from vCenter Server using the PowerCLI

You can use the VMware PowerCLI to collect diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server at the same time as from managed ESXi/ESX hosts. For more information, see Collecting diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server and ESXi/ESX using the vSphere PowerCLI (1027932).

Collecting diagnostic information from vCenter Server 5.1 using the vSphere Web Client

When the vSphere Web Client is connected to the vCenter Server system, you can select hosts from which to generate and download system log files and the option to include vCenter Server and vSphere Web Client logs. For more information, see Collecting diagnostic information for ESXi/ESX hosts and vCenter Server using the vSphere Web Client (2032892).

Note: You can also you use the Log Browser feature in the vSphere Web Client to view, search, and export one or more vCenter Server or ESXi host log files. For more information, see Using the Log Browser to view, search, and export Logs for troubleshooting (2032888).

Collecting diagnostic information from vCenter 5.x Server Appliance using the command line

To collect diagnostic information from the vCenter 5.x Server Appliance:

  1. Open a console session to the vCenter Server Appliance.
  2. Log in as an administrative user, such as root.
  3. Run the command:

    /usr/sbin/vc-support.sh

  4. The command lists each file being included in the support bundle, and the path and file name of the produced log bundle. The log bundle is named with the current date under the directory where the command was issued. For example:

    /root/vcsupport-yyyy-mm-dd.pid.zip

Collecting diagnostic information from vCenter 5.x Server Appliance using a web browser

To collect diagnostic information from the vCenter 5.x Server Appliance (VCSA) using a web browser:

  1. Open a web browser and navigate to:

    https://vCenter_Server_IP_address:5480

  2. Log in with your credentials or as the local administrator.
  3. Click the vCenter Server tab.
  4. Click the Status tab.
  5. Click the Download vCenter Server Support Bundle link.
  6. When complete, the support bundle is located on the VCSA at:

    /tmp/vc-support-bundle/

Collecting diagnostic information from vCenter Server 4.0 and higher for Windows using the Start Menu item

To collect the diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server 4.x and above:

  1. Log into the Windows server where VMware vCenter Server is installed.
  2. Click Start > All Programs > VMware > Generate vCenter Server log bundle – Extended.

    Note: In Windows 2008 R2, use Run As Administrator.

  3. A command prompt window appears and shows the log collection progress.
  4. When complete, the command prompt window closes. A log bundle is placed on the desktop of the current user, named with the current date and time. For example:

    vc-support-mm-dd-yyyy-HH-MM.zip

Collecting diagnostic information from vCenter Server 2.5 and higher for Windows using the command line

To collect diagnostic information from vCenter Server 2.5 and higher using the command line:

  1. Log into the Windows server where VMware vCenter Server is installed.
  2. Open a command prompt.
  3. Change directories to the vCenter Server installation directory. For example:

    cd "C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\"

  4. Run the vc-support.wsf command to generate a log bundle:
    • For vCenter Server 4.x on 64-bit Windows:

      %WINDIR%\SysWOW64\cscript.exe vc-support.wsf

    • For all other versions:

      cscript scripts\vc-support.wsf

      To redirect from the default desktop location:

      cscript scripts\vc-support.wsf /z /s:<output location>

  5. The command lists each file being included in the support bundle, and the path and file name of the produced log bundle. The log bundle is named with the current date. For example:

    vcsupport-mm-dd-yyyy-HH-MM.zip

Note: vCenter Server logs do not collect Auto Deploy server log information. To obtain Auto Deploy logs, see Troubleshooting vSphere Auto Deploy (2000988).

Additional Information

For assistance with uploading the diagnostic bundle, see Uploading diagnostic information to VMware (1008525).

See Also


Posted in Uncategorized
May 23

Location of vSphere Profile-Driven Storage log files (KB: 2056646)

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Purpose

This article provides the default location of the vSphere Profile-Driven Storage logs. It may be necessary to use these log files when troubleshooting issues and VMware Support may request these files when creating a Support Request.

Resolution

The vSphere Profile-Driven Storage logs are placed in a different directory on disk depending on the vCenter Server version and the deployed platform:
  • vCenter Server 5.x and earlier versions on Windows XP, 2000, 2003: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\VMware\Infrastructure\Profile-Driven Storage\Logs
  • vCenter Server 5.x and earlier versions on Windows Vista, 7, 2008: C:\ProgramData\VMware\Infrastructure\Profile-Driven Storage\Logs
  • vCenter Server 5.x Linux Virtual Appliance: /var/log/vmware/vpx/sps

    Note: If the service is running under a specific user, the logs may be located in the profile directory of that user instead of %ALLUSERSPROFILE%.

vSphere Profile-Driven Storage logs are grouped by component and purpose:

  • sps.log: The main Profile-Driven Storage logs, consisting of all vCenter Server and Management Webservices connections, internal tasks and events, and information about the storage profile integrity.
  • vim-sps-install.log: This file consists of information about the installation of Profile-Driven Storage including computer name, operating system revision, the date of installation and the number of revisions that have been installed or upgraded on the system.
  • wrapper.log: This file provides information about the state of the Java runtime environment.

    Note: As each log grows, it is rotated over a series of numbered component-nnn.log files. On some platforms, the rotated logs are compressed.

Additional Information

You cannot view vSphere Profile-Driven Storage logs using vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client. To export these logs, see  Collecting diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server (1011641).

For related information, see the main article in this series Location of log files for VMware products (1021806).

See Also


Posted in Uncategorized
May 23

Location of vCenter Inventory Service log files (KB: 2056632)

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Purpose

This article provides the default locations of the vCenter Inventory Service logs. It may be necessary to use these log files when troubleshooting issues and VMware Support may request these files when creating a Support Request.

Resolution

The vCenter Inventory Service logs are placed in a different directory on disk depending on the vCenter Server version and the deployed platform:
  • vCenter Server 5.x and earlier versions on Windows XP, 2000, 2003: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\VMware\Infrastructure\Inventory Service\Logs
  • vCenter Server 5.x and earlier versions on Windows Vista, 7, 2008: C:\ProgramData\VMware\Infrastructure\Inventory Service\Logs
  • vCenter Server 5.x Linux Virtual Appliance: /var/log/vmware/vpx/inventoryservice

    Note: If the vCenter Inventory Service is running under a specific user, the logs may be located in the profile directory of that user instead of %ALLUSERSPROFILE%.

vCenter Inventory Service logs are grouped by component and purpose:
  • ds.log: The main vCenter Inventory Service logs, consisting of all vCenter Server and Single Sign-On connections, internal tasks and events, and information about the xDB.
  • vim-is-install.log: This file contains information about the installation of Inventory Service including computer name, operating system revision, the date of installation and the number of revisions that have been installed or upgraded on the system.
  • wrapper.log: This file provides information about the status of the Java runtime environment.

    Note: As each log grows, it is rotated over a series of numbered component-nnn.log files. On some platforms, the rotated logs are compressed.

To collect the vSphere 5.1 vCenter Inventory Service logs, navigate to Start > All Programs > VMware > Generate Inventory Service log bundle.

Additional Information

You cannot view vCenter Inventory Service logs using the vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client. To export these logs, see Collecting diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server (1011641).
 
For related information, see the main article in this series Location of log files for VMware products (1021806).


Posted in Uncategorized
May 23

Location of vCenter Server log files (KB: 1021804)

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Purpose

This article provides the default location of the vCenter Server logs.

Resolution

The vCenter Server logs are placed in a different directory on disk depending on vCenter Server version and the deployed platform:

  • vCenter Server 5.x and earlier versions on Windows XP, 2000, 2003: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\Logs\
  • vCenter Server 5.x and earlier versions on Windows Vista, 7, 2008: C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\Logs\
  • vCenter Server 5.x Linux Virtual Appliance: /var/log/vmware/vpx/
  • vCenter Server 5.x Linux Virtual Appliance UI: /var/log/vmware/vami

    Note: If the service is running under a specific user, the logs may be located in the profile directory of that user instead of %ALLUSERSPROFILE%.

vCenter Server logs are grouped by component and purpose:

  • vpxd.log: The main vCenter Server logs, consisting of all vSphere Client and WebServices connections, internal tasks and events, and communication with the vCenter Server Agent (vpxa) on managed ESX/ESXi hosts.
  • vpxd-profiler.log, profiler.log and scoreboard.log: Profiled metrics for operations performed in vCenter Server. Used by the VPX Operational Dashboard (VOD) accessible at https://VCHostnameOrIPAddress/vod/index.html.
  • vpxd-alert.log: Non-fatal information logged about the vpxd process.
  • cim-diag.log and vws.log: Common Information Model monitoring information, including communication between vCenter Server and managed hosts’ CIM interface.
  • drmdump\: Actions proposed and taken by VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), grouped by the DRS-enabled cluster managed by vCenter Server. These logs are compressed.
  • ls.log: Health reports for the Licensing Services extension, connectivity logs to vCenter Server.
  • vimtool.log: Dump of string used during the installation of vCenter Server with hashed information for DNS, username and output for JDBC creation.
  • stats.log: Provides information about the historical performance data collection from the ESXi/ESX hosts
  • sms.log: Health reports for the Storage Monitoring Service extension, connectivity logs to vCenter Server, the vCenter Server database and the xDB for vCenter Inventory Service.
  • eam.log: Health reports for the ESX Agent Monitor extension, connectivity logs to vCenter Server.
  • catalina.<date>.log and localhost.<date>.log: Connectivity information and status of the VMware Webmanagement Services.
  • jointool.log: Health status of the VMwareVCMSDS service and individual ADAM database objects, internal tasks and events, and replication logs between linked-mode vCenter Servers.
  • Additional log files:
    • manager.<date>.log
    • host-manager.<date>.log
Note: As each log grows, it is rotated over a series of numbered component-nnn.log files. On some platforms, the rotated logs are compressed.

vCenter Server logs can be viewed from:

  • The vSphere Client connected to vCenter Server 4.0 and higher – Click Home > Administration > System Logs.
  • The Virtual Infrastructure Client connected to VirtualCenter Server 2.5 – Click Administration > System Logs.
  • From the vSphere 5.1 and 5.5 Web Client – Click Home > Log Browser, then from the Log Browser, click Select object now, choose an ESXi host or vCenter Server object, and click OK.

May 23

Tech Talks: Steve Flanders Demonstrates Query Building in vCenter Log Insight

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VMworld 2013 Tech Talk: Query Building in vCenter Log Insight with Steve Flanders (@smflanders)

Rating: 4/5


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May 22

Tech Talks: Steve Flanders Showcases Performance Considerations in vCenter Log Insight

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VMworld 2013 Tech Talk: Performance Considerations in vCenter Log Insight with Steve Flanders (@smflanders)

Rating: 4/5


Posted in Uncategorized