ESXi and vCenter Server configuration files control the behavior of the system. Most configuration file settings are set during installation, but can be modified after installation. Log files capture messages generated by the kernel and different subsystems and services. ESXi and vCenter Server services maintain separate log files. The following table lists log files or reports, their locations and associated configuration files.
| Description | Log Location | Filename or Names | Configuration File |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESXi service log | /var/log/vmware/ | hostd.log [hostd-0.log, ...hostd-9.log] | See ConfigStore |
| vCenter Server agent log | /var/log/vmware/vpx/ | vpxa.log | See ConfigStore |
| Virtual machine kernel core file | /root/ | vmkernel-core.<date> vmkernel-log.<date> |
See ConfigStore |
| syslogd log | /var/log/ | messages [messages.1,... messages.4] |
See ConfigStore |
| Service console availability report | /var/log/ | vmkernel [vmkernel.1, ... vmkernel.8] | See ConfigStore |
| VMkernel messages, alerts, and availability reports | /var/log/vmkernel | See ConfigStore | |
| VMkernel warning | /var/log/ | vmkwarning [vmkwarning.1 ... 4 for history] | See ConfigStore |
| Virtual machine log file | vmfs/volume/<vm_name> | vmware.log | <vm_name>/<vm_name>.vmx |
For developers, the following files are most relevant:
- hostd.log – Host daemon log, see ESXi Log File. Can be used as a SOAP monitor when set to trivia log level as in Generating Logs.
- vpxa.log – Agent log file found on each managed ESXi system.
- vmware.log – Virtual machine log. See Virtual Machine Log Files.
Note: Many configuration settings can no longer be edited directly with a web browser. To modify configuration settings in ConfigStore, use
/bin/configstorecli or
esxcli.
In addition to viewing log files in real time you can also generate reports and complete diagnostic bundles. See Generating Diagnostic Bundles.
