How to enable PXE Manager log without PXE Configuration Utility

book

Article ID: 178270

calendar_today

Updated On:

Products

Deployment Solution

Issue/Introduction

 

Resolution

Normally PXE Logging is enabled in the PXE Configuration Utility GUI. In some cases however, the PXE Configuration Utility will not launch (for example if the error "The PXE manager service has not connected with the DS server yet" occurs when trying to open the PXE Configuration Utility). In such cases, it is still possible to enable PXE Logging, including PXE Manager logging - which might be required in troubleshooting whatever error may be preventing the PXE Configuration Utility from launching.

These steps are specific to enabling PXE Manager logging only, but can be used to familiarize with enabling PXE Logging via the PXEManager.ini and modified to enable logging of other services as well.

  1. Stop the Altiris PXE Manager service
  2. Browse to the PXE Folder (default is C:\Program Files (x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\PXE or \\DS\eXpress\PXE)
  3. Open the file PXEManager.ini in a text editor such as Notepad
  4. Find the lines
    1. LogFileBasePath=""
      1. If left blank, will default to placing logs in the PXE folder; otherwise place location for log files to be placed between the double-quotes. Be sure PXEManager.exe has access to write to that location.
    2. PxeManagerLog_Enabled=False
      1. Replace False with True
    3. PxeManagerLog_OutputThreshold=1
      1. Replace 1 with 255
    4. PXEManagerLog_FileName="PxeLog_Manager.Txt"
      1. Can be left as default, or replace all inside double-quotes with the desired log name
  5. Save and close PXEManager.ini
  6. Start the Altiris PXE Manager service
  7. Refresh location defined in step 4a and watch for file to be created

The PXE processes were designed for active troubleshooting, and as such have perks and downfalls. The perk is that the logs can be opened and read while the process is running (the log will be loaded in memory at the time it's opened, to get the most up-to-date log close and re-open the log). The downfall is that there is no file size limit set, so be very careful to disable logging when not actively troubleshooting otherwise it is possible that the PXE logs will eventually fill up the hard drive it's logging to.

Powered by Wolken Software