Collecting diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server 4.x, 5.x, 6.x, 7.x and 8.x
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Collecting diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server 4.x, 5.x, 6.x, 7.x and 8.x

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Article ID: 330178

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article provides procedures for obtaining a vCenter Server support bundle for VMware vCenter Server.
 
VMware Technical Support routinely requests diagnostic information from you when a support request is handled. This diagnostic information contains product specific logs, configuration files, and data appropriate to the situation. The information is gathered using a specific script or tool for each product and can include a host support bundle from the ESXi host and vCenter Server support bundle. 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 (2147388).

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



Environment

VMware vCenter Server 4.x
VMware vCenter Server 5.x
VMware vCenter Server 6.x
VMware vCenter Server 7.x
VMware vCenter Server 8.x

Resolution

A vCenter Server support bundle can be collected from vCenter Server using these methods. Select the method most appropriate to your environment.

Collecting a support bundle using VMware vSphere Client (vCenter Server 6.0 and earlier)


To collect the diagnostic information using the vSphere Client:

  1. Connect to vCenter Server using the vSphere Client.
  2. Start collecting diagnostic information. For more information, see Collecting diagnostic information for VMware ESXi/ESX using the vSphere Client (653).
  3. Select the checkbox to include information from vCenter Server.

    The log bundle appears in the specified folder when the download is complete. The log bundle is named with the current date and time. For example:

    VMware-vCenter-support-yyyy-mm-dd@ HH-MM-SS.zip
     

Collecting a support bundle from vCenter Server using the PowerCLI

You can use the VMware PowerCLI to collect vCenter Server support bundle at the same time as from managed ESXi/ESX hosts. For more information, see Collecting diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server and ESXi/ESX using the vSphere PowerCLI (1027932).
 

Collecting a support bundle from vCenter Server 5.1 and later using the vSphere Web Client

When the vSphere Web Client is connected to the vCenter Server system, you can select hosts from which to generate and download a vCenter Server support bundle. For more information, see Collecting diagnostic information for ESXi/ESX hosts and vCenter Server using the vSphere Web Client (2032892).

Note: You can also you use the Log Browser feature in the vSphere Web Client to view, search, and export one or more vCenter Server support bundle or host support bundle. For more information, see Using the Log Browser to view, search, and export Logs for troubleshooting (2032888).
 

Collecting a support bundle from vCenter 5.x Server Appliance using the command line

  1. Open a console session to the vCenter Server Appliance.
  2. Log in as an administrative user, such as root.
  3. Run the command:

    /usr/sbin/vc-support.sh

    The command lists each file being included in the support bundle, and the path and file name of the produced bundle. The bundle is named with the current date under the directory where the command was issued. For example:

    /root/vcsupport-yyyy-mm-dd.pid.zip

Collecting a support bundle from vCenter 6.0 or later Server Appliance or external Platform Service Controller using the command line

  1. Open a console session to the vCenter Server Appliance.
  2. Log in as an administrative user, such as root.
  3. Type shell.set --enabled true and press Enter.
  4. Type shell and press Enter.
  5. Run this command to export the logs to /storage/log/:

    vc-support -l

Collecting a support bundle from vCenter 6.0 Server Appliance or external Platform Service Controller using a web browser

  1. Open a web browser and navigate to https://vCenter_server_FQDN:443/appliance/support-bundle
  2. When prompted enter the root credentials and click Enter.

    The download will begin automatically as vm-support.tgz.

Collecting a support bundle from vCenter 5.x Server Appliance using a web browser

  1. Open a web browser and navigate to:

    https://vCenter_Server_IP_address:5480
     
  2. Log in with your credentials or as the local administrator.
  3. Click the vCenter Server tab.
  4. Click the Status tab.
  5. Click the Download vCenter Server Support Bundle link.
    After completing, the support bundle is located on the VCSA at:

    /tmp/vc-support-bundle/

Collecting a support bundle from vCenter Server 4.0 and higher for Windows using the Start Menu item

  1. Log in to the Windows server where VMware vCenter Server is installed.
  2. Click Start > All Programs > VMware > Generate vCenter Server log bundle - Extended or Start > All Programs > VMware > vCenter Server> Generate vCenter Server log bundle.

    Note: In Windows 2008 R2, use Run As Administrator.
     
  3. A command prompt window appears and shows the log collection progress.
    When complete, the command prompt window closes. A log bundle is placed on the desktop of the current user, named with the current date and time. For example:

    vc-support-mm-dd-yyyy-HH-MM.zip
Note: When you click on Generate vCenter Server log bundle, below script will be executed in the background:

C:\Windows\System32\cscript.exe "C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\scripts\vc-support.wsf" /z
 
This script creates a live core dump of vpxd process which suspend the process for some time to create memory dump. During this time, the host may get disconnected till the memory dump is created.
 
To avoid this, generate vCenter logs execute the below command, which skips memory dump creation:

C:\Windows\System32\cscript.exe "C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\scripts\vc-support.wsf" /nlc /z

Collecting a vCenter Server support bundle from vCenter Server 2.5 and higher for Windows using the command line

  1. Log in to the Windows server where VMware vCenter Server is installed.
  2. Open a command prompt.
  3. Change directories to the vCenter Server installation directory. For example:

    cd "C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\"
For for vCenter Server 6.0 or later version:

cd "C:\Program Files\VMware\vCenter Server\bin"

  1. Run the vc-support.bat command to generate a log bundle:
     
    • For vCenter Server 4.x on 64-bit Windows:

      %WINDIR%\SysWOW64\cscript.exe vc-support.bat
       
    • For all other versions:

      cscript scripts\vc-support.bat

      To redirect from the default desktop location:

      cscript scripts\vc-support.bat /z /s:output_location

      The command lists each file being included in the support bundle, and the path and file name of the produced log bundle. The log bundle is named with the current date. For example:

      vcsupport-mm-dd-yyyy-HH-MM.zip
 
For vCenter Server 5.5 or later:
  • vCenter Server 5.5/Windows Server 2008

C:\Windows\System32\cscript.exe "C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\VirtualCenter Server\scripts\vc-support.wsf" /z /f
 

  • vCenter Server 6.0/Windows Server 2012

"C:\Program Files\VMware\vCenter Server\bin\vc-support.bat"
 

  • vCenter Server 6.5/Windows Server 2016

"C:\Program Files\VMware\vCenter Server\bin\vc-support.bat"


Note: vCenter Server support bundles do not collect Auto Deploy server log information. To obtain Auto Deploy logs, see Troubleshooting vSphere Auto Deploy (2000988).



Additional Information

VMware Skyline Health Diagnostics for vSphere - FAQ
For more information on uploading the diagnostic bundle, see Uploading files to cases on the Broadcom Support Portal.

Collecting diagnostic information for VMware products
Collecting diagnostic information for VMware vCenter Server and ESX/ESXi using the vSphere PowerCLI
Troubleshooting vSphere Auto Deploy
Using the Log Browser to view, search, and export Logs for troubleshooting
Collecting diagnostic information for ESX/ESXi hosts and vCenter Server using the vSphere Web Client
vSphere Profile-Driven Storage のログファイルの場所
VMware vCenter Server 4.x, 5.x および 6.0 の診断情報の収集
Coletando informações de diagnóstico para o VMware vCenter Server 4.x, 5.x e 6.0
Data collected when gathering diagnostic information from vSphere products
Collecting diagnostic information for VMware ESX/ESXi

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