Collecting diagnostic information for VMware ESXi using vSphere Client

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Note: If you are directed to this article through a VMware Fusion support request / case, see Collecting diagnostic information for VMware Fusion.

VMware Technical Support routinely requests the diagnostic information from you when a support request is addressed. Data collected in a host support bundle may be considered sensitive. Additionally, as of vSphere 6.5, support bundles can include encrypted information from an ESXi host. For more information on what information is included in the support bundles, see Data collected when gathering diagnostic information from vSphere products.

This article provides procedures for obtaining diagnostic information for a VMware ESXi host using the vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client. To collect the same information using the command line, see Collecting diagnostic information for VMware ESX/ESXi using vm-support command.

The diagnostic information obtained by using this article is uploaded to the Broadcom Support Portal. To uniquely identify your information, use the case (Support Request (SR)) number you receive when you create the new ticket.

• For information on opening a support request, see Creating and managing Broadcom support cases.

• For information on uploading your support files, see Uploading files to cases on the Broadcom Support Portal.

• For information on obtaining diagnostic information for other VMware products, see Collecting diagnostic information for VMware products.

Resolution

Obtaining Diagnostic Information for ESXi hosts using the vCenter HTML5 vSphere Client

ESXi host diagnostic information can be gathered using the vSphere Client (HTML5) connected to vCenter Server.

To gather diagnostic data using the VMware vSphere Client connected to a vCenter Server:

1. Open the vSphere Client.
2. Log in using an account with administrative privileges or with the Global.Diagnostics permission.
3. Select Hosts and Clusters from the Home tab.
4. Select an ESXi host or vCenter object in the inventory.
5. If the selected object is an ESXi you will collect logs for that ESXi only, then:
   1. Right click the ESXi object and select Export System Logs.
   2. If required, select the Gather performance data option, and specify a duration and interval.
   3. If required, select the Password for encrypted core dumps option, and specify a password. Remember to share this password with VMware support if needed.
   4. Click in Export Logs button to start the download. If the button is grayed out, then check and then uncheck any option to unlock the button.
6. If the selected object is a vCenter instance, you could collect logs for multiple ESXis at a time, then:
   1. Right click the vCenter object and select Export System Logs.
   2. Select All or only the desired ESXis to which you want to collect logs at the same time.
   3. If required, select Include vCenter Server and vSphere UI logs.
   4. Click Next.
   5. Select the Specific logs to export. Normally, the default selection is enough.
   6. If required, select the Gather performance data option, and specify a duration and interval.
   7. If required, select the Password for encrypted core dumps option, and specify a password. Remember to share this password with VMware support if needed.
   8. Click in Export Logs button to start the download.
7. Upload the logs to the Broadcom Support Portal. For more information, see Uploading files to cases on the Broadcom Support Portal.

Obtaining Diagnostic Information for ESXi hosts using the ESXi vSphere Client

ESXi host diagnostic information can be gathered using the ESXi vSphere Client connected to an ESXi Server.

To gather diagnostic data using the VMware vSphere Client connected to an ESXi Server:

1. Open the vSphere Client.
2. Log in using an account with administrative privileges such as root.
3. Select Actions from the Host tab.
4. Select Generate support bundle.
5. Enter the same administrative credentials again to start downloading the log bundle.
6. Upload the logs to the Broadcom Support Portal. For more information, see Uploading files to cases on the Broadcom Support Portal.

Additional Information

• VMware Skyline Health Diagnostics for vSphere - FAQ
• To simplify and expedite the log upload process, we recommend using the Log Assist feature of VMware Skyline, which (with your permission) automatically uploads log files. Skyline is available to all Production Support and Premier Services customers. To download Skyline, visit the Broadcom Downloads portal.
• To collect vCenter Server and ESXi diagnostic support information in the same bundle, visit: Collecting diagnostic information for ESX/ESXi hosts and vCenter Server using the vSphere Web Client.