Diagnostic information can be generated as a log or diagnostic bundle as generated by vCenter Server system or a diagnostic bundle which contains log files, configuration files and a capture using esxtop generated by vm-support utility on an ESXi host system. The bundle generated will be in the form of a zip or gzip file depending on the system that it has been generated. The files can then be extracted to inspect the files or to be forwarded onto VMware support in order to troubleshoot an issue.
Generate a log bundle on the ESXi Host using the vSphere Client
1) Connect to an ESXi host system using the vSphere Client.
2) Select Home > Administration > System Logs
2) Select Export System Logs.
4) Specify which System Logs to export and optionally specify if wish to export Performance Data and select Next.
5) Specify the Download Location to create the bundle, select Next and Finish.
Generate a diagnostic log bundle on the ESXi Host/vCenter Server using vm-support
1) Connect to the ESXi host system using a Secure Shell (SSH) utility.
2) Invoke vm-support from the command line.
~ # vm-support 20:33:54: Creating /var/tmp/esx-deanesxi1.dean.local-2015-02-13--20.33.tgz To see the files collected, run: tar -tzf '/var/tmp/esx-deanesxi1.dean.local-2015-02-13--20.33.tgz'
Generate a diagnostic log bundle on the ESXi Host/vCenter using PowerCLI
1) Connect to the vCenter Server or ESXi host system using the Connect-VIServer cmdlet.
2) Invoke the Get-Log cmdlet to generate a diagnostic bundle.
Generate a diagnostic bundle on the vCenter Server
By generate a vCenter Server log bundle with the extended option we will also retrieve msinfo.txt and netstat information from the vCenter Server.
1) Run ‘C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\VMware\Generate vCenter Server log bundle – Extended’.
Generate a diagnostic log bundle on the vCenter Server using vSphere Client
By generating a diagnostic bundle on the vCenter Server using the vSphere client we can filter information retrieved from any ESXi host system, this can be useful when troubleshooting issues that are not isolated to a single host.
1) Connect to the vCenter Server system using the vSphere Client.
2) Select Home > Administration > System Logs
3) Select Export System Logs
4) Specify the vCenter Server system and ESXi host systems to download system logs and select Next.
5) Specify which System Logs to export and optionally specify if wish to export Performance Data and select Next.
6) Specify the Download Location to create the bundle, select Next and Finish.
Once you have downloaded the generated bundles using one or more of the above methods the files can then be extracted to inspect the files or to be forwarded onto VMware support in order to troubleshoot an issue, by following the steps in http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1008525.
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