Knowledge Base

Upload options

• As an attachment to your Support Request
• By FTP through a web browser
• By FTP through a command line
• By email
• Using VMware vCenter Support Assistant

Uploading as an attachment to your Support Request

• You must sign into My VMware with the same profile that was used to file the Support Request.
• To add attachments in My VMware, you must have the Java plug-in installed. The required version depends on your environment, but VMware recommends Java 5 or higher. You can download the Java plug-in from http://www.java.com/. If you cannot install the Java plug-in or if you are using Mac OS 10.7 or later (which no longer has the Java plug-in, as per Apple article HT5493), use the alternatives in this article.
• The attachment limit is 2 GB. You can send larger files using FTP.

Uploading by FTP

1. Go to https://ftpsite.vmware.com/.
2. Enter this information:
   
   Username: inbound
   Password: inbound
   
   
3. Ensure that HTML is selected.
4. Click Login.
5. Click New Directory.
6. Enter your Support Request number in the field and click OK. If you receive an error that the file already exists, proceed to the next step.
7. Click Change Directory, enter your Support Request number in the field, then click OK.
8. Click Add, select the files you would like to upload to VMware Support, then click Open.
   
   Repeat this step for any additional files.
   
   Note: Files must be smaller than 2 GB.
   
   
9. Click Upload.
   
   You are notified when the upload completes.
   
   
10. Notify the Technical Support Engineer that the logs have been uploaded:
    
    
    1. Send an email to webform@vmware.com
    2. Ensure that the subject line contains:
       
       VMware Support Request SR# YOUR_SUPPORT_REQUEST_NUMBER
       
       
    Click here to open an email with the necessary fields populated. Replace YOUR_SUPPORT_REQUEST_NUMBER in the subject line with your Support Request number.

• Ensure that you have your Support Request number. This number is provided to you when a Support Request is created.
• After uploading the diagnostic data, you cannot see the file listing on the server because directory listing is disabled for security reasons.

1. Open a terminal window to a command line shell:
   
   
   • For Windows, click Start > Run, type cmd and press Enter.
   • For Mac OS, click Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
   • For Linux, from your X session run the /usr/bin/xterm command, or open your preferred terminal emulation application.
     
     
2. From the command line shell, run the command:
   
   ftp ftpsite.vmware.com
   
   
3. Enter this username and password when prompted:
   
   Username: inbound
   Password: inbound
   
   Note: The password is not echoed on the screen. Authenticating using this username and password allows you to put files on the site. You cannot delete, move, rename, or modify any files, including the files you upload.
   
   
4. Enable the correct mode for the transfers:
   
   
   • If you are using Mac OS, type epsv to disable extended passive mode.
   • If you are using Windows, type pasv to toggle between the active and passive modes. In Windows, Passive mode is required.
   • If your FTP client defaults to ASCII transfer mode, type bin to enable binary transfers to preserve the integrity of the files.
     
     Note: Prior to initiating the transfer, type hash at the command prompt to see the progress of the transfer.
     
     
5. Create a remote directory on the FTP site for uploading your diagnostic information files. Run the command:
   
   mkdir YOUR_SUPPORT_REQUEST_NUMBER
   
   Caution: When making this directory, use only the Support Request number. Do not preface the number with anything. For example, do not use SR##########, as the SR prefix affects the tools used by support to access these files once uploaded.
   
   
6. Change your working directory to the remote directory that you created by running this command:
   
   cd YOUR_SUPPORT_REQUEST_NUMBER
   
   
7. Change the local directory to the folder that contains the files you wish to upload. If the full path is not specified, the path used defaults to the path from where you executed ftp. Run:
   
   lcd FULL_LOCAL_PATH
   
   Notes:
   • In Windows, this step is optional. The full path can be specified in the next step, at the time of the file transfer. If your path includes spaces, be sure to enclose the entire path within quotation marks.
   • In Mac OS and Linux, you must use the lcd command to navigate to the directory on your system where the file is saved. If your path includes spaces, be sure to escape each space with a backslash before it. Alternatively, you can simply drag the file into the terminal window and erase the file name while keeping the directory path.
     
     
8. To upload a file from the local directory to the remote directory, run:
   
   put FILENAME
   
   where FILENAME is the name of the file you are uploading.
   
   Notes:
   
   • You can also use mput * to upload all log files from the current local directory.
     
   • If you are using Windows, you may include the file path with the file name. If your path includes spaces, be sure to enclose the entire path within quotation marks. Alternatively, you can simply drag the file into the terminal window.
   • If you are using Mac OS or Linux, and your path includes spaces, be sure to escape each space with a backslash before it or enclose the entire path within quotation marks. Alternatively, you can drag the file into the terminal window.
     
     
9. To close the FTP session, type bye and press Enter.
   
10. Notify the technical support engineer that the logs have been uploaded. To do this, send an email to webform@vmware.com and ensure that the subject line contains:
    
    VMware Support Request SR# YOUR_SUPPORT_REQUEST_NUMBER
    
    Click here to open an email with the necessary fields populated. Replace the YOUR_SUPPORT_REQUEST_NUMBER in the subject line with your Support Request number.
    

Uploading by Email