2/18/2019 25 Log Files That Will Transform Your vSphere Troubleshooting

(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/)


(https://www.facebook.com/AltaroSoftware/)

(https://twitter.com/AltaroSoftware/)

(https://plus.google.com/+AltaroHyperV/posts/)

(https://www.linkedin.com/company/altaro/)

(http://feeds.feedburner.com/AltaroVMware)

Altaro.com (https://www.altaro.com/) » Altaro's VMware

Hub and blog (https://www.altaro.com/vmware) »
Featured product
vSphere
(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/category/vsphere/) »
25 Log Files That Will Transform Your vSphere
Troubleshooting

25 Log
Files That
Will
Transform
Your (http://www.altaro.com/vm-backup/?LP=VMWBlog-wg-

vSphere
scr)

Download 30-day trial

Troubleshooting
(http://www.altaro.com/vm-
backup/download.php?LP=VMWBlog-wg-scr) or
Free Edition (http://www.altaro.com/vm-
29 Nov 2018 by Ryan Birk
backup/download-free.php?LP=VMWBlog-wg-scr)
(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/author/ryan-birk/)
(free for 2 VMs, forever.)


https://www.altaro.com/vmware/vsphere-log-files/ 1/9
 0
2/18/2019 Site categories
25 Log Files That Will Transform Your vSphere Troubleshooting

(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/vsphere-
log-
les/#respond)
vSphere
(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/category/vsphere/)

vSphere Storage
(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/category/vsphere/)
(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/ca

Rate this (4 Votes)

Everyone loves logs right? Right?? I can’t be the only one. Automation and
(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/category/automation-
(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/ca
Management Altaro News
In all seriousness though, logs are one of those things that and-management/) news/)
you have to stay on top of, so for this post, we’re going to
take a deep dive into the world of VMware logging. Yes, I
know you are all super excited Let’s run down the 25 most
important ones and the various tools that you can use to
keep track of your VMware environment. You likely won’t
need all of these log- les every single day, but when you do
need it, you’ll be glad you have a general idea of where to go.
For that end, I’d recommend bookmarking this page for Desktop HyperConvergence
(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/category/desktop-
(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/ca
future reference. Virtualization
virtualization/)
We’ll break this post into 2 sections. First, we’ll cover the ESXi
host logs and then we’ll move onto the vCenter logs.

ESXi Host Logs

ESXi records host activity in log les, using a syslog facility.
Typically one of the easiest and fastest ways to check these Cloud
log les out is using tools like cat on the command line. You
(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/ca
can also view various logs through the DCUI as well. All
VMware hosts run a service for logging system information.
This service, vmsyslogd, logs messages from the VMkernel
and other system components for auditing and diagnostic
purposes. By default, the logs are directed to a local scratch
location or ramdisk. The scratch space is created
automatically during ESXi installation in the form of a 4 GB
Uncategorized
Fat16 local scratch partition. If storage space is unavailable, (https://www.altaro.com/vmware/category/uncategorize
the host will store data on a ramdisk, which is not
persistent across reboots. That being the case, many
admins choose to send these logs to a persistent datastore
or remote logging server for retention. One of the most
important things to know is that it’s important to realize
where you’re installing ESXi. If you opt to install it to a USB
stick or sdcard, if the host crashes, that can make for a bad
day! This means that you’ll want to pay extra attention and

have the logs written to a central logging location. I’ll
https://www.altaro.com/vmware/vsphere-log-files/ 2/9
highlight
2/18/2019 some of the most popular logs below
25and indicate
Log Files That Will Transform Your vSphere Troubleshooting
what they do. I highly recommend having a syslog server of
some sort in your environment.

Component Location Purpose

1. VMkernel /var/log/vmkernel.log ESXi

Records
VMkernel activities related
2. /var/log/vmkwarning.log
warnings to virtual
machines
Used to
determine
uptime and
VMkernel
3. /var/log/vmksummary.log availability
summary
statistics
for ESXi (comma
separated)
Contains
information
about the agent
ESXi host that manages
4. /var/log/hostd.log
agent log and con gures
the ESXi host
and its virtual
machines
Contains
information
about the agent
that
vCenter agent communicates
5. /var/log/vpxa.log
log with vCenter
Server (if the
host is managed
by vCenter
Server)
ESXi Shell as
well as shell
events (for
6. Shell log /var/log/shell.log
example, when
the shell was
enabled)
Contains all
events related
to
7. Authentication /var/log/auth.log
authentication
for the local
system


https://www.altaro.com/vmware/vsphere-log-files/ 3/9
 2/18/2019 25 Log Files That Will Transform Your vSphere Troubleshooting
Contains all
general log
messages and
can be used for
System troubleshooting.
8. /var/log/syslog.log
messages This information
was formerly
located in the
messages log
le
Contains virtual
machine power
events, system
failure
information,
The same directory as the a ected virtual
tools status and
machine’s con guration les, named
Virtual activity, time
9. vmware.log and vmware*.log. For
machines sync, virtual
example, /vmfs/volumes/datastore/virtual
hardware
machine/vwmare.log
changes,
vMotion
migrations,
machine clones,
and so on

Another important log le that I like to point out is the

boot.gz le. It’s located in /var/log/boot.gz. This one is
important to troubleshoot slow boots and can indicate why
the host is hanging or freezing. I’ve found myself using it
from time to time and it’s been helpful.

You can change the location of the syslog location under

each host at the location below. To specify a remote logging
host, enter a value in the format
of protocol://hostname:port. Example: tcp://hostname:514

vCenter Logs
The VMware vCenter Server Appliance 6.x logs are located in
the /var/log/vmware/ folder. You can get to it either via
the console interface or via ssh. You can also export a bundle
of logs via the vSphere Web Client.

vCenter Server
Appliance Log Purpose
Location
10. vpxd/vpxd.log The main vCenter Serverlog 
https://www.altaro.com/vmware/vsphere-log-files/ 4/9
 2/18/2019 25 Log Files That Will Transform Your vSphere Troubleshooting
Pro le metrics for
vpxd/vpxd-
11. operations performed in
pro ler.log
vCenter Server
Non-fatal information logged
12. vpxd/vpxd-alert.log
about the vpxd process
13. perfcharts/stats.log VMware Performance Charts
14. eam/eam.log VMware ESX Agent Manager
15. invsvc VMware Inventory Service
VMware vSphere ESXi Dump
16. netdumper
Collector
17. vapi VMware vAPI Endpoint
VMware Directory Service
18. vmdird
daemon
19. syslog vSphere Syslog Collector
VMware vSphere Pro le-
20. vmware-sps/sps.log
Driven Storage Service
vFabric Postgres database
21. vpostgres
service
22. vsphere-client VMware vSphere Web Client
VMware System and
23. vws
Hardware Health Manager
VMware vCenter Work ow
24. work ow
Manager
25. SSO VMware Single Sign-On

Some important ones to keep in mind:

vmware-vpx\vpxd.log

Use this to troubleshoot issues with issues relating directly

operation of the vCenter. Everything from DB connectivity
problems to vCenter crashes can be found here. This log will
have a LOT of information in it and is a good place to start on
many issues.

invsvc\wrapper.log

Used to troubleshoot why the inventory service will not start.

sso\vmware-sts-idmd.log

This is a good log to use as a “one-stop-shop” for SSO

authentication issues. Authentication requests/failures, as
well as problems with an identity source, will post here.

vsphere-client\logs\vsphere_client_virgo.log

A great place when troubleshooting errors within the Web

Client. If you receive errors from simply clicking on objects,
you begin chasing them down here!


Wrap Up
https://www.altaro.com/vmware/vsphere-log-files/ 5/9
To wrap up, just keep in mind that you need to
2/18/2019 25consider a Will Transform Your vSphere Troubleshooting
Log Files That
remote syslog collector for your ESXi hosts. It’s one of the
most important things to do. You don’t have to use the
VMware Syslog Collector if you already have one in place, but
consider using that if you’re a smaller shop with no existing
syslog server in place. I hope this post has been helpful!

Have any questions or feedback?

Leave a comment below!

Download Altaro VM Backup

Start your free 30-day trial

(https://www.altaro.com/vm-
backup/download.php?LP=VMWBlog-thrive-
textonly) of Altaro VM Backup today and see why
it's trusted by 40 000+ organizations worldwide.
Get started now (https://www.altaro.com/vm-
backup/download.php?LP=VMWBlog-thrive-
textonly) and run your rst backup in under 15
mins!

Get noti ed about new

VMware articles by email
Receive all our free VMware articles and
checklists and get noti ed rst when we
release new eBooks and announce
upcoming webinars!

First Name

Enter your email address

Yes, sign me up for more VMware awesome

Ryan Birk
(https://www.altaro.com/vmware/author/ryan-
birk/) 
https://www.altaro.com/vmware/vsphere-log-files/ 6/9
2/18/2019 I've been working in IT for 20+ years
25 Log Files and callTransform
That Will myself aYour vSphere Troubleshooting
"virtualization snob" these days. If it's not a VM, or one of my
hosts with a hypervisor, I run for the hills! I have been a
Virtualization Consultant and Engineer and a Technical
Instructor most recently. Since 2012, I have been a proud
VMware vExpert and run a blog at ryanbirk.com, which
happens to focus on VMware homelabs.

All Posts (https://www.altaro.com/vmware/author/ryan-

birk/)   WEBSITE (http://www.ryanbirk.com )   EMAIL
(mailto:ryanbirk@gmail.com)

  (https://twitter.com/ryanbirk)
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/rbindy)

Have a question or
comment? We'd love to hear
it!
Your email address will not be published. Required elds are marked *

Your Comment here...

Name ( Required )

Your Name*

Email ( Required )

Your E-Mail*

Website

URL

Notify Me When New

 
Comments Are Added.

Send message

https://www.altaro.com/vmware/vsphere-log-files/ 7/9
2/18/2019 25 Log Files That Will Transform Your vSphere Troubleshooting

Altaro Software Altaro VM Backup

About Altaro Altaro VM Backup

(http://www.altaro.com(http://www.altaro.com
LP=VMWBlog-ft) backup/?
LP=VMWBlog-ft)
Altaro VM Backup
(http://www.altaro.comDownload Free
backup/? Version
LP=VMWBlog-ft) (https://www.altaro.co
backup/download-
free.php?
LP=VMWBlog-ft)

Download 30-day
Trial
(http://www.altaro.com
backup/download.php
LP=VMWBlog-ft)

Our writers

Jason
Fenech
(https://www.altaro
fenech/)
142 Posts

(https://www.altaro

fenech/)

Ryan Birk

(https://www.altaro
birk/)
36 Posts


https://www.altaro.com/vmware/vsphere-log-files/ 8/9
2/18/2019 25 Log Files That Will Transform Your vSphere Troubleshooting
(https://www.altaro

birk/)

Andy
Syrewicze
(Chief Editor)
(https://www.altaro
syrewicze/)
25 Posts

(https://www.altaro

syrewicze/)

Luke
Orellana
(https://www.altaro
orellana/)
18 Posts

(https://www.altaro

orellana/)

Copyright © 2018 Altaro Software.

(https://www.facebook.com/AltaroSoftware/)

(https://twitter.com/AltaroSoftware/)

(https://plus.google.com/+AltaroHyperV/posts/)

(https://www.linkedin.com/company/altaro/)

(http://feeds.feedburner.com/AltaroVMware)


https://www.altaro.com/vmware/vsphere-log-files/ 9/9