Before resorting to examining Data Collector logs, use the following System Administration reports to check collection status:

You can also view live collection status using the Collection Status page on the Admin tab.

The data collection process logs activity to provide additional processing details that support troubleshooting. Use the Admin > Advanced > Support Tools feature to request a support package that contains Data Collector Server files. To identify specific files, it may be helpful to have some knowledge of the logging structure and naming conventions.

Beginning with APTARE Release Version 10, the data collection logging structure has been reorganized to make it easier for support and developers to find relevant information. Refer to the following sections to understand this structure.

Data Collector logs are organized into two directory hierarchies:

Within this directory structure, there is a framework sub-directory. The framework sub-directory is used in the beginning of the collection process, before the Data Collector type has been identified. Once IT Analytics knows the type of collector (for example, EMC Isilon), logging is recorded in the main scheduled directory using the naming convention described in Data Collector Log File Naming Conventions.

Within the directory structure described in Data Collector Log File Organization, log files have the following naming convention:

For example, an EMC Isilon probe from checkinstall would result in a file name similar to:

Some collectors may have a period of time when they are not processing a specific subsystem. For those periods, logging will occur in an aggregate log file similar to:

Examples of vendor.product folder names within this directory structure include:

Additionally, each Java Virtual Machine (JVM) creates its own logging file(s) when starting up. This is necessary because multiple processes logging to the same file could overwrite each other’s log messages. These log files can be found in the framework sub-directory, as described in Data Collector Log File Organization. See also, Checkinstall Log.

Throughout the APTARE IT Analytics life cycle, some collectors have been upgraded to include new functionality and new Data Collectors have been designed with an improved architecture. The log file naming convention depends on the generation of the Data Collector that you are using. You do not need to know the generation of the Data Collector to find relevant log files.

When running a scheduled data collection, the following log files are created, depending on the generation of the Data Collector. For technical reasons, the following naming conventions are used for data collection logs:

Several log file names include a specific ID. This ID can be found in a System Administration report, Data Collection Schedule Summary. See also, Find the Event/Meta Collector ID.

The checkinstall process produces its own log file, but in most cases, there is very little to report in this log.

For example, the checkinstall creates:

When you initiate a Test Connection action from within a Data Collector policy, a TestConnection.log file captures the steps and their status.

The log file names will have one of the following prefixes substituted for the <policyID>:

Example: scheduled\legato.nw\#META_D922ACBCCFFA2933A301A530A0E011E4

 

Locations in this table represent the default locations, but these may have been modified for your environment.

This ID is displayed in the Data Collection Schedule Summary, but you can also use the following script to list the IDs.

In the output, look for the Event Collectors section associated with the Software Home—the path that was specified when the Data Collector Policy was created.