A DR Series system diagnostics log file is a bundle that contains a variety of file types that record the latest system settings and saves them in a compressed .lzip file format.
In the DR Series system GUI, the Diagnostics page allows you to generate diagnostic logs that capture the state of your system. You can also download these log files or delete them as needed.
To view the system diagnostics page, follow these steps.
- In the left navigation menu, click Support > Diagnostics.
- You can view the following columns of information on the Diagnostics page for the diagnostics logs that have been generated.
- File name—in this format, <hostname>_<date>_<time>.lzip, as in this example:acme-sys-19_2012-10-12_13-51-40.lzip
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NOTE: Diagnostic log file names are limited to 128 characters. |
- Size—in Megabytes.
- Time—timestamp of when the log file was created.
- Reason—describes the reason the log file was generated (for example, [admin-generated]: generated by Administrator).
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NOTE: Diagnostic reason descriptions are limited to 512 characters, and the descriptions can only be added using the DR Series system CLI. |
- Status—indicates the status of the log file (for example, Completed or In Progress).
The Diagnostics service in the DR Series system lets you collect and manage your system’s diagnostic log file bundles. The Diagnostics service works by collecting all the system-related information that could help when diagnosing a problem or error condition in the system. Each diagnostic log file bundle provides:
- A current snapshot of system operations
- System-related information that assists in understanding system operations
- A record of system operations in case Technical Support needs to provide technical assistance
Diagnostics runs as a service during system startup, and this process listens for incoming requests. There are two modes in which the diagnostics collection process is started:
- Admin-Generated mode: when a DR Series system CLI or DR Series system GUI request is made by the administrator (and the default reason that is listed is admin-generated).
- Auto-Generated mode: when a process or service failure is reported, the DR Series system starts collecting system-related information. After it completes the auto-generated collection, it generates a system event.
When the diagnostics log directory exceeds the maximum storage capacity, any log older than one hour is automatically deleted. The DR Series system GUI lets you download and save diagnostics log files to other systems on your network. The DR Series system also maintains a separate archive logs directory that collects other system-related information, and these archive logs are also automatically deleted when they exceed a maximum capacity. When you generate a diagnostics log file bundle, it contains all of the DR Series system information that you need when contacting Technical Support for technical assistance. The diagnostics log file bundle collects the same type of hardware, storage, and operating system information that is collected when using the Dell System E-Support Tool (DSET) and the DR Series system CLI commands (diagnostics --collect --dset). When a diagnostics log file bundle is generated, this process also collects all the previous auto-generated diagnostics and deletes them from the system.
The Diagnostics service collection process observes the following guidelines:
- DR Series system triggers an automatic diagnostic log collection of the DR Series system status for any system process or service failures.
- All automatic diagnostic collection requests are queued and executed sequentially.
The DR Series system GUI provides options to display existing diagnostics logs, generate new diagnostics logs, download and save copies of existing diagnostics logs, or delete existing diagnostics logs. The DR Series system CLI also provides the means for managing, generating, or downloading the diagnostics log files. For more information, see the
DR Series System Command Line Reference Guide.
A DR Series diagnostics log file is a bundle that contains a variety of file types that record the latest system settings, and saves them in a compressed .lzip file format. When you generate a diagnostics log file bundle, it contains all of the DR Series system information that may be needed when contacting Technical Support for technical assistance. This also includes all the previous auto-generated diagnostics log files, which are then deleted from the DR Series system. The diagnostics log file bundle collects the same type of hardware, storage, and operating system information collected by the Dell System E-Support Tool (DSET) from the DR Series system appliance hardware:
- To collect a DSET log file, use the DR Series system CLI command,
diagnostics --collect --dset.
- To collect the comprehensive DR Series system diagnostics log file bundle (which also includes DSET information), use the DR Series system CLI command,
diagnostics --collect.
To generate a diagnostics log file bundle for your system, complete the following steps:
- In the left navigation menu, click Support > Diagnostics.
- In the Action menu in the upper right corner of the page, click Generate.
- In the Select Diagnostics Type drop-down list, select one of the following options.
- basic
- dset
- logs
- cores
- tcpdump
- all
- To verify that a new diagnostics log file is being generated, check the status of the diagnostics log file on the Diagnostics page.
Once completed, the new diagnostics log file resides at the top of the File Name column in the table. To verify, check its timestamp (using its date and time), to ensure this is the latest diagnostics file created.
To download an existing diagnostics log file, complete the following steps:
- In the left navigation menu, click Support > Diagnostics.
- In the list, select the diagnostics log file you want to download, and click the Download icon.
- Download and save the file as needed.
