Hosts provisioned with vSphere Auto Deploy usually do not have sufficient local storage to save system logs. You can specify a remote syslog server for those hosts by setting up a reference host, saving the host profile, and applying that host profile to other hosts as needed.

Best practice is to set up the syslog server on the reference host with the vSphere Web Client or the esxcli system syslog command and to save the host profile. You can also set up syslog from the Host Profiles feature in the vSphere Web Client.

Prerequisites

  • If you intend to use a remote syslog host, set up that host before you customize host profiles.
  • Verify that you have access to a vSphere Web Client that can connect to the vCenter Server system.

Procedure

  1. In the vSphere Web Client, click Policies and Profiles, and select Host Profiles.
  2. (Optional) If no reference host exists in your environment, click the Extract Profile from Host icon to create a host profile.
  3. Right-click the host profile you want to modify and select Edit Settings.
  4. Leave the name and description unchanged and click Next.
  5. On the Edit host profile page of the wizard, select Advanced Configuration Settings > Advanced Options > Advanced configuration options.
    You can select specific sub-profiles and edit the syslog settings.
  6. If you are setting up an ESXi 5.0 host that did not have a previously configured syslog server, you have to create an advanced configuration option.
    1. Click the Add sub-profile icon.
    2. Select the new sub-profile Advanced configuration option at the top of the list.
    3. From the Advanced option drop-down list select Configure a fixed option.
    4. Specify Syslog.global.loghost as the option, and your host as the value.
    If you are configuring an ESXi host version 5.1 or later or an ESXi 5.0 host that has syslog configured, Syslog.global.loghost is already in the list of advanced options.
  7. Click Finish to save the host profile settings.

What to do next

  • Create a rule that applies the host profile to all hosts that you want to provision with the settings specified in the reference host. For writing a rule in a PowerCLI session, see Write a Rule and Assign a Host Profile to Hosts.
  • For hosts that are already provisioned with vSphere Auto Deploy, perform the test and repair compliance operations in a PowerCLI session, see Test and Repair Rule Compliance.
  • Power on unprovisioned hosts to provision them with the new host profile.