How to enable logging for Likewise agents on ESXi/ESX

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Likewise agents are used on ESXi to facilitate joining the host to an Active Directory domain and top handle subsequent authentication attempts for AD users.

 

Per default these agents are writing their log messages in /var/run/log/syslog.log using an "info" logging level, which can be insufficient for troubleshooting purposes.

This article provides information on how to change the logging level and to reconfigure the agents to write into a dedicated log file.

Environment

• VMware ESXi 8.0.x
• VMware ESXi 7.0.x
• VMware ESXi 6.x

Resolution

Note: Enabling advanced Likewise logging increases the disk space used in /var/log. This should be only used while diagnosing an issue to prevent out of space issues.

Starting with ESXi 6.x, the logging for Likewise agents are configured using the command-line.

 

To view the current Likewise agent logging settings:

1. Log in to the host as root using the console or SSH.
2. Start the lwsmd service by running this command: 

   # /etc/init.d/lwsmd start

3. Type this command to view the current log file location:

   # /usr/lib/vmware/likewise/bin/lwsm get-log

4. Type this command to view the current logging level:

   # /usr/lib/vmware/likewise/bin/lwsm get-log-level

 

To configure the Likewise agent logging setting:

1. Log in to the host as root using the console or SSH.
2. Type this command to set the log file location:

   # /usr/lib/vmware/likewise/bin/lwsm set-log file /var/log/likewise.log

3. Type this command to set the logging level:

   # /usr/lib/vmware/likewise/bin/lwsm set-log-level loglevel

    

Note: The default logging level is info. These are the valid logging levels:

• • always
  • error
  • warning
  • info
  • verbose
  • debug
  • trace

 

Additional Information

Creating a persistent scratch location for ESXi 4.x/5.x/6.x
Applying vSphere host configuration changes after an unclean shutdown