Deployment Solution 8.x Logging: How to, Why, and Where

Products

Deployment Solution IT Management Suite Client Management Suite Ghost Solution Suite

Issue/Introduction

Where can I find Deployment Solution Logs?

Resolution

When troubleshooting Deployment Solution 8.x, there are several sets of logs you will find useful. This document will detail their function and related KBs

General NS Logging (related, but not specifically DS logs)
Deployment Solution (DS) Specific logging
Post Deployment Windows Setup Logs
1. Setup (Specialize) or (OOBE) logs
2. Drivers (DISM) or (DPInst) logs

General Logging (related to, but not specifically for DS)

Deployment Solution (DS) 8.x is part of the ITMS (NS) product. As such, it is often necessary to gather ITMS logs to figure out the root cause of DS issues. These logs, along with the DS specific logs, will allow you to troubleshoot the issue through the entire process.

NS Server Logs

Function: These logs exist on the Notification Server and are basic logs for tracking all NS activity. Information from various modules, including the Altiris Service, Task Services, and IIS is in this log file. The most current file is "a.log", with progressively older files labeled with an appended number in the following format: "aXX.log".

These logs display in the Altiris Log Viewer.

Related KBs/Tools:
- 179702: How to configure logging on the Notification Server and an Altiris Agent computer
- 171848: Notification server (SMP) and agent log directory
- Windows Event Logs
- SIM Support Package: Creating a support package that contains SIM logs
- Altiris™ Profiler User Guide: Altiris Profiler

Symantec Management Agent Logs

Function: These logs exist on all managed machines; the Notification Server, Site Servers, and clients. These logs tracks activity specific to this client, including Job/Task execution, server communication, and internal agent activity. The most current file is named "Agent.log", with progressively older files being labeled with an appended number in the following format: "AgentXX.log".
Symantec Management Agent logs are found C:\ProgramData\Symantec\Symantec Agent\Logs

These logs can be displayed in the Altiris Log Viewer.

Related KB
- 179702: How to configure logging on the Notification Server and an Altiris Agent computer
- 171848: Notification server (SMP) and agent log directory

Task Server trace logging

Function: These logs exist on any system that is acting as a Task Server. They hold detailed information about tasks that the task server is managing/controlling.
Task Server logs are found in the Symantec Management Agent logs: C:\ProgramData\Symantec\Symantec Agent\Logs

Related KB
- 154621: How to enable trace logging for Task management (task server) on a site server

Deployment Solution (DS) Specific logging

Automation and Imaging logs

Function: These logs have information about processes/tasks that are ran in the Automation (PXE or automation folder) environment
Automation Logs are found in X:\Program Files\Symantec\Deployment\Logs

Related KB
- 179201: Deployment Solution 8.x Automation logs
- 181873: Using RemoteTrace.exe to capture output of logs to the server

Site Server Logs

Function: These logs have information needed to troubleshoot DS issues that relate to services running on Site Servers (Task and package server)

Agent
- Tracks all Symantec Management Agent Activity on Site server
  - <drive>:\programdata\symantec\symantec agent\logs
DSTask
- Tracks Deployment agent activity on the Site Server
- <drive>:\program files\altiris agent\agents\deployment\logs
Bootwiz
- Ttracks Bootwiz activity for automation builds made on the Site Server
- <drive>:\program files\deployment\logs
SBS PXE/TFTP Logs
- Tracks PXE activity depending on logging level set in the NS Console
  - <drive>:\program files\altiris agent\agents\deployment\sbs
Deployment Server Package Server (DSPS)
- Shows the installation of the DSPS component on package server
- C:\DSPSmsi.log
Resource Import Tool
- Shows the history of Resource Import Tool activity
  - C:\Program Files\Altiris\Deployment\Tools\Resourceimporttool.log

Client Logs

Function: Records all activity of client systems while in production

Agent
- Tracks all client Symantec Management Agent activity
  - C:\ProgramData\Symantec\Symantec Agent\Logs
Dstask
- Tracks all Deployment Solution agent activity
  - \Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Agents\Deployment\Logs
ConfigService
- Tracks domain join/removal and other configuration processes
  - \Program Files\Altiris\Altiris Agent\Agents\Deployment\Logs
netsetup
- Tracks domain join/remove processes
  - C:\Windows\debug
Sysprep Logs
- Tracks Sysprep after Prepare for image Capture task
  - C:\Windows\System32\sysprep\Panther
Automation folder
- Installation results of automation folder
  - C:\Autoinst.log
- Shows automation folder activity
  - C:\ Autoutil.log

DS Plugin
- Shows installation of Deployment Plugin
  - C:\ DSPluginInstall.log
Linux logs
- /opt/altiris/notification/nsagent/var
Related KBs
- 179702: How to configure logging on the Notification Server and an Altiris Agent computer
- 171848: Notification server (SMP) and agent log directory
- 181699: DSTasks Log in Automation and how it interacts with the other logs
- 169506: Modify Configuration task does not consistently rename the PC
- 161011: Preparing Windows 10 to run a 'Prepare for Image Capture' (sysprep) task
- 150304: Automation Folder install and boot process -- DeployAnywhere data flow in Deployment Solution 8.x

Post Deployment Setup Logs

Function: These logs have information for errors after the system reboots and errors are given in a dialog box.
When a failure occurs in Windows Setup, review the entries in the Setuperr.log file first, then the Setupact.log file second, and then other log files as needed

Note - Logs with %Windir% require getting back into automation environment and locating the windows mapped volume

- Setup (Specialize) or (OOBE) logs
  - Setupact.log
    - Primary log file for most errors that occur during the Windows installation process.
      - %windir%\panther
  - Setuperr.log
    - High-level list of errors that occurred during the specialize phase of Setup
      - %windir%\panther
  - Setupapi.offline.log
    - Driver failures during the Component Specialization sub-phase of the Setup specialize phase.
      - %windir%\inf
  - Cbs_unattend.log
    - Unattended-setup servicing failures
      - %windir%\panther
  - Setupapi.dev.log
    - Driver failures during the oobe phase of Setup.
      - %windir%\inf
  - Sessions.xml
    - An XML-based transaction log file that tracks all servicing activity.
      - %windir%\servicing\sessions
  - CBS.log
    - Servicing log file that provides more details about offline-servicing failures.
      - %windir%\panther

- Drivers (DISM) or (DPInst) logs
  - DISM.log
    - Driver Injection using DISM.
      - %windir%\logs\dism
  - Sessions.xml
    - An XML-based transaction log that tracks all servicing activity
      - %windir%\servicing\sessions
  - DPInst
    - Driver injection if using DPInst
      - %windir%\dpinst