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Collecting diagnostic information for VMware ESX Server 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0

Details

VMware Technical Support routinely requests diagnostic information from you when a support request is handled. This diagnostic information contains product specific logs and configuration files from the host on which the product is run. The information is gathered using a specific script or tool for each product.
 
This article provides procedures for obtaining diagnostic information for VMware ESX Server versions 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0.
 
The diagnostic information collected can then be uploaded to VMware Technical Support. To uniquely identify your information, use the Support Request (SR) number you received when you opened your Support Request.

Solution

Diagnostic information for ESX hosts and vCenter Server installations can be obtained in the following ways:

Obtaining Diagnostic Information from the ESX service console

Diagnostic information can be obtained directly from any version of ESX host. Information cannot be obtained from ESXi hosts in this way.
To collect diagnostic data at the ESX command prompt:
  1. Log on to the service console as root.
  2. Confirm the version of VMware ESX Server you are running.
    • On ESX Server 2.x and 3.x hosts, determine the base build number with the following command:

      [root@esxhost]# vmware -v
    • On ESX 4.x hosts, determine the system level with the following command:

      [root@esxhost]# vmware -l
     
    • Run the following command to change to the directory where you want the output to appear. For example:

      [root@esxhost]# cd /tmp

      Note: If you run the script in /usr/bin, the output appears in that directory and remains there until you delete it.

    • Run the following command to execute the script:

      [root@esxhost]# /usr/bin/vm-support

      You do not need to power off your virtual machines before running this script.

      For ESX Server performance issues, VMware Technical Support might ask you to collect performance snapshots using the the -s and -S switches. For more information, see       Collecting performance snapshots using vm-support (1967) .

      When the script finishes, it generates a file with named <fqdn>-esxsupport-YYYY-MM-DD@HH-MM-SS.tgz

    Obtaining Diagnostic Information for ESX 4 hosts using the vSphere Client

    ESX diagnostic information can be gathered using VMware Virtual Infrastructure Client connected to the ESX host or the VMware Virtual Center Server.
     
    To gather diagnostic data using VMware vSphere Client:
    1. Log in to VirtualCenter with the vSphere Client, as an administrator or log in directly to an ESX Server with the root user.
    2. Click File > Export > Export System Logs.
    3. On the Save Export System Logs Window, choose the host(s) to collect diagnostic data from and whether to include data from VMware Virtual Center.

      Note: If you are directly connected to an ESX Server skip this step as the Diagnostic Data Component of the Window is not displayed.

    4. Click Browse and specify a location to save the diagnostic data to. The following shows the Export System Logs dialog:



      Note: Selecting the Include information from vCenter Server and vSphere Client option includes additional non-ESX related logs.   

    5. Click OK to start the generation of the logs.
    During the data collection it is common to receive a Certificate error, like:

     
    This does not mean that collection of the logs has failed. Click Ignore to continue the process of generating the logs.
     
    The log bundle(s) appear in the folder you specified when the download is complete. The log is generated with the following filename:

    VMware-vCenter-support-YYYY-MM-DD@HH-MM-SS.zip for VMware vCenter.

    Obtaining Diagnostic Information For ESX Server 2.x and 3.x hosts using the Virtual Infrastructure Client

    ESX diagnostic information can be gathered using VMware Virtual Infrastructure Client connected to the ESX host or the VMware Virtual Center Server.
    To gather diagnostic data using VMware Virtual Infrastructure Client:
    1. Log in to VirtualCenter with the Virtual Infrastructure Client, as an administrator or log in directly to an ESX Server with the root user.
    2. Click File > Export > Export Diagnostic Data.
    3. On the Save Diagnostic Data Window, choose the host(s) to collect diagnostic data from and whether to include data from VMware Virtual Center.

      Note: If you are directly connected to an ESX Server skip this step as the Diagnostic Data Component of the Window is not displayed.

    4. Click Browse and specify a location to save the diagnostic data to. The following shows the Save Diagnostic Data dialog:



      Note: Selecting the Include information from VirtualCenter Server option includes additional non-ESX related logs.

    5. Click OK to start the generation of the logs.
    During the data collection it is common to receive a Certificate error, like:

    This does not mean that collection of the logs has failed. Click Ignore to continue the process of generating the logs.

    The log bundle(s) appear in the folder you specified when the download is complete. The log is generated with the following filename:

    VMware-VirtualCenter-support-YYYY-MM-DD@HH-MM-SS.zip for VMware VirtualCenter.

    Verifying the Version of vm-support script

    Check to see that your version of vm-support is at least that listed for your version of ESX software. The minimum acceptable versions are as follows:
    • ESX Server 2.5.5 requires version 1.15 or higher
    • ESX Server versions 3.0.1, 3.0.2, and 3.0.3 require version 1.29 or higher
    • ESX Server 3.5, and ESXi Server version 3.5 require version 1.30 or higher
    • ESX and ESXi 4.0 require version 1.29 or higher
    The minimum version listed above provides improvements required to protect the security of your data when providing support information to VMware. For more information about these security improvements, see Data Security Best Practices - SSL keys for communicating with Virtual Center and other applications (1008166).

    To see which version is installed on your system, run the vm- support command with no options. For example:

          [user@esxhost]$ cd /tmp [user@esxhost]$ /usr/bin/vm-support        

             VMware ESX Server Support Script 0.94

             Preparing Files: |

             [Ctrl+C to cancel]

    If you have a version earlier than that listed above, follow the instructions at the end of this article to download and install the most recent version of the script.

    Updating vm-support script

    To update the vm-support script:

    1. Log on as root at the service console.
    2. Double-check which version of vm-support you have. For example:

      [root@esxhost]# cd /tmp
      [root@esxhost]# /usr/bin/vm-support

      VMware ESX Server Support Script 0.94

      Preparing Files: |
      [Ctrl+C to cancel]

    3. Run the following command to make a backup copy of your existing script:

      [root@esxhost]# cp /usr/bin/vm-support /usr/bin/vm-support.old

    4. Download the appropriate file for your version of VMware ESX Server and move it to the /tmp directory on the service console of the ESX Server system.

      Note: Read the Acceptance of Terms Notice before downloading.

      Software Version Version Download Location md5sum
      ESX Server 2.5.5 1.15 http://download3.vmware.com/software/vi/ESX255-vm-support.tar c7e274a576835f0cb9e79c77204804eb
      ESX Server 3.0.1 1.29 http://download3.vmware.com/software/vi/ESX301-vm-support.tgz c725a7dd49bb46d5b48939bfab180d3c
      ESX Server 3.0.2 1.29 http://download3.vmware.com/software/vi/ESX302-vm-support.tar 3f9880600b1d59aba196bda261438a91
      ESX Server 3.0.3 1.29 http://download3.vmware.com/software/vi/ESX303-vm-support.tar 3b476118116b21c18ff45d0e31d8f529
      ESX Server 3.5 1.30 http://download3.vmware.com/software/vi/ESX35Classic-vm-support.tar a7932a73b128c5f221a69db090e30b26
      ESX/ESXi 4 1.29 vm-support is up to date for ESX/ESXi 4, no updates are available.

    5. Run the following command to extract the archive:

      [root@esxhost]# tar xvzf <filename>.tgz

      OR

      [root@esxhost]# tar xvf <filename>.tar
    6. Verify that the MD5 sum of the vm-support file in the attachment matches the value for your software version listed in table above.
    7. Copy the the vm-support script to the /usr/bin/ directory, replacing the original vm-support script.

      Note: When running on an older version of ESX Server, the updated script might report errors about missing commands. This is normal.
    Acceptance of Terms Notice

    NOTICE: BY DOWNLOADING AND INSTALLING, COPYING OR OTHERWISE USING THESE KERNEL MODULES, INCLUDING DRIVERS, PLUG-INS, OR UPDATES, YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THESE KERNEL MODULES ARE TO BE CONSIDERED RELATED COMPONENT(S) OF THE SOFTWARE UNDER THE TERMS OF YOUR VMWARE ESX END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT (“EULA”) AND YOUR USE OF THESE KERNEL MODULES IS GOVERNED BY THE TERMS OF YOUR EULA. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THESE TERMS, YOU MAY NOT DOWNLOAD, INSTALL, COPY OR USE THESE KERNEL MODULES. "YOU" MEANS THE NATURAL PERSON OR THE ENTITY THAT IS AGREEING TO BE BOUND THESE TERMS, THEIR EMPLOYEES AND THIRD PARTY CONTRACTORS THAT PROVIDE SERVICES TO YOU. YOU SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY FAILURE BY SUCH EMPLOYEES AND THIRD PARTY CONTRACTORS TO COMPLY WITH THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT.

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    • KB Article: 653
    • Updated: Aug 14, 2009
    • Products:
      VMware ESX
    • Product Versions:
      VMware ESX 2.5.x
      VMware ESX 3.0.x
      VMware ESX 3.5.x
      VMware ESX 4.0.x