Detailed Guide to Downloading Logs for Flashsystem and related applications.

Logs are vital for troubleshooting and analysing system events. This guide explains how to download logs IBM Flashsystem and related applications, providing step-by-step instructions.

Table of Contents

1. Storage Logs (Flashsystem)
2. vCenter and ESXi Logs
3. SRA Logs
4. vSphere Plugin Logs
5. Spectrum Connect Logs
6. VSS Logs

1. Storage Logs (Flashsystem)

• Using the Management GUI

1. Navigate to Settings > Support > Download Logs.
2. Click Download Support Package.

3. Choose to download either the full logs or block-storage logs based on your needs.

• Using Command Line

Execute the following command to gather the latest dump or live dump from each node:

svc_snap -a

2. vCenter and ESXi Logs

• Using the vCenter Server System

1. Log into the vCenter Server system.
2. Choose one of the following options:
• Right-click the vCenter Server object and select Export System Logs...
• Click the ACTIONS link and select Export System Logs...

3. Select the ESXi hosts for which logs are needed.
4. To collect diagnostic data for the vCenter Server itself, check the option Include vCenter Server and vSphere UI Client logs.

5. (Optional) Select Gather performance data to include performance information.
6. Click EXPORT LOGS to save the bundle to your local computer. The logs will be saved as .zip files.

3. SRA Logs

• Steps to Collect Logs

1. SSH into the SRM system:

ssh admin@<SRM_HOST>

2. Navigate to the SRA logs directory:

cd /var/log/vmware/srm/SRAs/

3. List the files in the directory:

ls -lrt

Expected Output (example):

total 31
drwxrwx--- 2 root root 12288 Jun 17  2024 lost+found
drwxrwxr-x 3 srm  srm   1024 Jan 15 08:23 sha256_2b5450df3cf4dd2d6fce20e9da06914227c1471cac77e913c76e83878b158e92
drwxrwxr-x 3 srm  srm   1024 Jan 17 14:30 sha256_486c70657a67c79cf6e9ad12a904285a2b42e2e336e2b3e387608f7d4c70abb3
drwxrwxr-x 3 srm  srm   1024 Jan 18 12:06 sha256_43e447e57ddc0b98b78a4da53e8cd9420088cf183a6460cd57962171040ee0a1
drwxrwxr-x 3 srm  srm   1024 Jan 18 12:52 sha256_b7e2b5bc88e04efc07ff92ecbf371801c3d802b8ee77a0af709880066fecaa27
drwxrwxr-x 3 srm  srm   1024 Jan 19 13:26 sha256_a112a9526f98792ef5dbc3baf56bf54972fb71daeb555d95705cd2c703921bb2
drwxrwxr-x 3 srm  srm   1024 Jan 20 10:06 sha256_76e87c680168855679f89014128d2fe7f2b8907ae3f9c568e310f143bd992e15
drwxrwxr-x 3 srm  srm   1024 Jan 24 10:36 sha256_111485de69e95e40b21c7c0ef9fc9f4f65a576527221849c8eb4856b585559dd
drwxrwxr-x 3 srm  srm   1024 Jan 24 10:47 sha256_085c9b22e6b172820f3fa6b3b17d252b318a2c2ac477b415cc3fd138b5e34766
drwxrwxr-x 3 srm  srm   1024 Jan 27 19:36 sha256_87216fe275d91a28c5929d4c596811832ebbdc2b2fcf91e5589053e5d73506f8

4. Identify the most recent directory and navigate to it:

cd <most_recent_directory>

In this example, it’s the directory:
sha256_87216fe275d91a28c5929d4c596811832ebbdc2b2fcf91e5589053e5d73506f8

Use the cd command to navigate to this directory:

cd sha256_87216fe275d91a28c5929d4c596811832ebbdc2b2fcf91e5589053e5d73506f8/

5. Locate the IBMSpectrumVirtualizeFamilySRA directory:

cd IBMSpectrumVirtualizeFamilySRA

6.  List Files in the IBMSpectrumVirtualizeFamilySRA Directory:.
Once inside, list the files by using the ls -lrt command to check for log files.
Example:

ls -lrt

Expected Output (example):

total 5382
-rw-rwxr-- 1 srm srm 1007159 Jan 22 11:22 sra_dr-1.log.zip
-rw-rwxr-- 1 srm srm  938855 Jan 24 15:39 sra_dr-2.log.zip
-rw-rw-r-- 1 srm srm  813986 Jan 27 07:16 sra_dr-3.log.zip
-rw-rw-r-- 1 srm srm  682811 Jan 27 19:00 sra_dr-4.log.zip
-rw-rw-r-- 1 srm srm  2038361 Jan 27 19:42 sra_dr.log

7.  Select the Desired Log File:
From the list of files, choose the appropriate log file you want to collect.
In this case, the most recent log is sra_dr.log, created on January 27, 2025.
You can either download, copy, or use a tool like scp to transfer the log file as needed.

4. vSphere Plugin Logs

• Steps to Collect Logs

1. SSH into the vSphere Plugin VM:

ssh root@<IP_ADDRESS>

2. Generate a snap file:

ibm-plugin snap

It will look something like this:

Snap file created at /tmp/snap.ibm-plugin.250128.071153.tgz

The output will indicate the location of the generated snap file in the /tmp/ directory.

3. Use SCP to download the snap file:

scp root@<IP_ADDRESS>:/tmp/<snap_file> /path/to/local/directory/
Replace <IP_ADDRESS> with the IP address of the plugin VM and /path/to/local/directory/ with the path where you want to save the file on your local machine.

5. Spectrum Connect Logs

• Steps to Collect Logs

1.     Log into Spectrum Connect GUI
Access the Spectrum Connect interface with your credentials.

2.     Navigate to Settings
In the top right corner, click the Settings menu, then select Collect Log.

3.     Collect the Log Files
Click Collect Log to start gathering the log files. This process may take a few minutes depending on the log size.

4.     Download the Log File
Once the collection is complete, the log files will be saved as a TAR archive. The download location depends on your browser settings (typically the Downloads folder).

6. VSS Logs

1. Locating the Default Log Path

If the log file is stored in the default path, follow these steps:

1.   Open File Explorer on the system where IBMVSS is installed.

2.   Navigate to the following directory:

C:\ProgramFiles\IBM\Hardware Provider for VSS-VDS

3.   Look for the file IBMVss.log.

2. Locating the Log File if Custom Path is Used

If the log file is stored in a custom directory (Home Directory of IBMVSS), follow these steps:

1.   Determine the installation directory or Home Directory for IBMVSS. This can be obtained from the system configuration or installation logs.

2.   Navigate to the Home Directory of IBMVSS. This is typically a directory related to IBM storage management or provider installation.

3.   Locate the IBMVss.log file within this directory.

3. Copying the IBMVss.log File

• Use File Explorer to copy and paste the log file to the desired directory.
• Alternatively, use Command Prompt:

copy C:\\path\\to\\source\\IBMVss.log C:\\path\\to\\destination

Summary

By following the steps outlined above, you can effectively download logs IBM Flashsystem and related applications. Ensure you store the logs securely for further analysis or troubleshooting.