- Managing Global Settings with OptionManager
- Collecting Logs Using DiagnosticManager
- Sharing Sessions Among Different Applications
- Using Single Sign-On from the VI SDK to CIM
- Downloading and Uploading Files Using HTTP Access
- Multithreading with the VI SDK
- Versioning
- Following Best Practices for Performance and Scalability
- Considering Internationalization
- Summary
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Collecting Logs Using DiagnosticManager
The DiagnosticManager provides services to access low-level debugging logs or generate diagnostic bundles for either the VirtualCenter server or ESX server.
The managed object defines no property but three methods:
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queryDescriptions() provides a list of diagnostic files for a given system. It takes in an optional parameter host for specifying the HostSystem to extract information from. When you connect to the ESX server directly, the parameter isn't needed. When you connect to the VirtualCenter server and the parameter isn't specified, the method assumes you're looking for VirtualCenter logs. The return of this method is an array of DiagnosticManagerLogDescriptor data objects. The data object includes six properties, as shown in Figure 18-2.
Figure 18-2 The DiagnosticManagerLogDescriptor data object
The creator property represents the component that creates the log; the value has to be one of the string values defined in the DiagnosticManagerLogCreator enumeration type. The filename is the full path to the log file on the ESX server, such as /var/log/vmware/hostd.log, or a simple filename on the VirtualCenter server, such as vpxd-0.log. The format has only one choice—plain—as defined in the DiagnosticManagerLogFormat enumeration type. The property key is used by other methods for browsing or downloading; it can have values like vpxd:vpxd-0.log on VirtualCenter, or hostd, messages, vmkernel, vmksummary, vmkwarning, or vpxa on the ESX server. The mimeType is Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME). With the format as plain, the mimeType is limited to text/plain.
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browseDiagnosticLog() allows you to "browse" a log file that is identified by the key as returned from the queryDescriptions() method. In addition to the key parameter, you can optionally specify two integers as the starting line and the number of lines in the log file you want to browse. If not specified, the starting line defaults to the top, and the number of lines defaults to the total from the starting to the end of the log. To browse the entire log, just leave the two optional parameters empty.
The return from the method is a DiagnosticManagerLogHeader data object, which has properties such as lineStart for the starting line and lineEnd for the ending line, as well as an array of strings as log entries in the log file.
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generateLogBundles_Task() creates diagnostic bundles on the server side to be downloaded. A diagnostic bundle includes log files and other configurations, such as a virtual machine configuration that can be used to investigate potential server issues. The method has a boolean parameter, includeDefault, that specifies whether to include the default server, and optionally an array of HostSystems while connecting to a VirtualCenter server.
The return of the method, as its name suggests, is a Task. When it's done successfully, the info.result property contains a list of DiagnosticManagerBundleInfo data object. The data object includes two properties: a system pointing to the HostSystem from which the diagnostic bundle is generated; and url, which represents the location where you can download the bundle. When you connect to the ESX server directly, url might have * as a placeholder for the real host name. Just replace it with the real host name or IP address before downloading it.
https://*:443/downloads/esxsupport-5224f0a4-becc-cf30-0d30-1bc28a26f7ce.tgz
As the file extension suggests, the bundle is a compressed archive file. Use tools like 7-Zip to extract the files inside. Depending on your environment, the bundle could have thousands of files for you to do a thorough analysis of the system.
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