Viewing and downloading log files

The system contains stored log data that you can view directly from the console, or you can download the information to your local file system and review it offline.

Before you begin

You must be assigned the Hardware administration role with permission to View all hardware resources (Read-only) to perform these steps.

About this task

You can view and download the following log files: error.log and trace.log. Each log file has a maximum size and a file limit, which defines the number of versions of that file that can be maintained on the system:
  • Each error.log file can be a maximum of 2 MB and up to five versions of the file are maintained for a total of 10 MB of available data.
  • Each trace.log file can be a maximum of 100 MB and up to 20 versions of the file are maintained (1 active file and 19 archived files).
If a version of either log file is older than 30 days, it is automatically deleted.

Procedure

  1. To work with log files for workload management problems, complete the following steps:
    1. Click System > Workload Troubleshooting (or Problem determination > Workloads > Workload Troubleshooting in 2.3.3.3 or later).

      For more information about the navigation in 2.3.3.3 or later, see IBM Cloud Pak System user interface navigation.

    2. Choose from the following options:
      Kernel Service log file
      View the log files for kernel services. Kernel services trace activity that is related to virtual application deployments, not virtual systems. Each log file can be a maximum size of 40 MB and up to 20 versions of the file are maintained (1 active file and 19 archived files).
      Storehouse log file
      View the log file for the Storehouse Browser. The Storehouse Browser is a repository that is used as a key component for troubleshooting problems. The Storehouse log file contains activity that is related to Storehouse database access used for virtual application deployments. Each log file can be a maximum size of 40 MB and up to 20 versions of the file are maintained (1 active file and 19 archived files).
      View current error file
      View details about the current list of high-level messages (ERROR, WARNING, INFO) from the main component that manages images, patterns, the user interface, and all stages of deployments. By choosing this option, a new browser view opens and streams all new content that is written to the error file in real time until you close or pause the view.
      View current trace file
      View details about the current trace file. In addition to containing the same content as the error file, the trace file contains all enabled trace levels (FINE, FINER, FINEST, ALL) by component. By choosing this option, a new browser view opens and streams all new content that is written to the trace file in real time until you close or pause the view.
      Download log files
      Download a trace.zip file that contains all log files, both current and archived.
      When the file size limit is reached, the file is compressed and archived to a *.log.gz file, for example:
      -rw-r--r-- 1 root root  7086206 Jan 11 11:25 trace_2013.01.11_11.25.09.0707.log.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  7048265 Jan 11 13:22 trace_2013.01.11_13.22.44.0406.log.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 59042938 Jan 11 14:23 trace.log
      Then, data is logged to a new, uncompressed file.
      Download the latest log files only
      Download a trace.zip file that contains only the current, uncompressed log files, and not the archived files. By choosing this option, you can download a smaller trace.zip file in less time than when you download a trace.zip file that contains both current and archived files.
      Remove old traces and logs
      Delete the archived files only. The currently active files remain available.
  2. To add, modify, or delete trace settings, expand Configure trace levels.
    A set of default classes is defined as the trace string to be included in the log files. The level of trace for these classes can be modified and new classes can be added. The trace levels that are provided are based on Java™ Logging convention and WebSphere® Application Server levels.
    • To modify the existing trace levels, complete the following steps:
      1. Click the current trace level setting.
      2. Select the new trace level from the available options, which are listed as follows:
        OFF
        No events are logged
        SEVERE
        The task cannot continue, but the component can still function
        WARNING
        Potential error or impending error
        INFO
        General information that outlines overall task progress
        FINE
        Trace information: General trace
        FINER
        Trace information: Detailed trace and the method of entry, exit, and return values
        FINEST
        Trace information: A more detailed trace, which includes all the details that are required to debug problems
        ALL
        All events are logged. If you create custom levels, ALL includes your custom levels and can provide a more detailed trace than FINEST.
      3. Click Save.
    • To add trace settings, complete the following steps:
      1. At the end of the list, click Add trace setting.
      2. Enter the name of the trace setting in the field.
      3. Move the cursor outside of the field and click the right mouse button to save your changes. Click the setting to update the trace level. By default, the trace level is set to INFO.
  3. To work with log files for system management problems, complete the following steps and click Submit.
    Note: If the downloaded logs show as incomplete, delete problems that are closed or no longer needed from System > Problems menu and then download the logs again.
    1. Click System > Workload Troubleshooting (or Problem determination > System > System Troubleshooting in 2.3.3.3 or later).
    2. Expand the System Logs section, and click Collect System Logs.
    3. On the Collection Sets tab, you can download one or more collection sets, by selecting the ones that you need from the list. If you select multiple collection sets, you can enter a user-defined name in the Collection name box. This name will then appear in the Collection Set column on the Troubleshooting page.
      Note: If you enter a collection name that starts with plus (‘+’), hyphen (’-‘), at symbol (’@’), or equal (’=’), then an error message is displayed indicating that the collection name is not valid.
    4. On the Advanced tab, you can enter a date and time range and only the logging events that are generated between these times are included in the log files.
    5. On the Problem tab, you can attach the collection set to an existing problem or to a new one.
  4. To work with the generated log data, click a created log file in the Collection Set table. Then click one of the following action icons:
    Export
    Use this icon in the toolbar to export a systemlogs.csv file to your local system. The comma-separated value file contains a summary of the log collections already created.
    Refresh
    Use this icon in the toolbar to regenerate the entries in the Collection Set table.
    Delete
    Use this icon from the Actions column to delete the log collection set.
    Download Log
    Use this icon from the Actions column to download the specified log collection set to your local system. You must enter your console user name and password. The generated log files are contained in a compressed file with a tgz extension.
    Open File Viewer
    Use this icon from the Actions column to open the File Viewer window for the collection set.
    Comment
    Use this icon from the Actions column to add a comment to the collection set.
    Create a problem
    Use this icon from the Actions column to create a problem for the collection set.