HP StorageWorks XPath OS 7.4.X Administrator Guide (AA-RVHDD-TE, February 2006)

XPath OS 7.4.x administrator guide 95
9 Monitoring system logs
This chapter discusses the following topics:
• System error log, next
• Port log, page 97
• Using the syslog daemon, page 98
There are three log file systems in the XPath OS:
• The system error log displays system daemon errors, in addition to all events from the event log.
• The port log displays port information.
• The event log displays events only.
Log entries for all three logs are described in the HP StorageWorks XPath OS 7.4.x system error messages
reference guide.
For most MP Router troubleshooting tasks, you can use the errShow command to refer to the system error
log. The system error log is formatted to match the Fabric OS error message format; it provides a complete
set of system messages. This chapter includes general information on the format and severity of error log
entries and provides procedures for viewing and clearing the event log.
The port log displays port events, such as port down, link events, and fabric segmentation. This chapter
provides information on viewing the port log.
The event log provides a limited set of event messages, but does not display errors from the firmware
subsystems.
A limited amount of storage is shared by the three logs on the MP Router. You can configure the XPath OS
syslog daemon to copy log entries to a server.
See the HP StorageWorks XPath OS 7.4.x system error messages reference guide for information on the
meaning of specific entries and information on using the log.
System error log
View this log using the errShow command. The error log displays system errors, such as faulty or failing
daemon processes in the firmware, as well all the events listed in the event log. Table 11 describes the
commands that manage the system error log.
System error messages are saved in the /var/log/messages directory. When the message file reaches
512 KB, the XPath OS archives the log with the file name messages.0.gz, and creates a new system
error log. There can be a total of five archived files on the system, named messages.0.gz through
messages.4.gz. As each archive file is added, XPath OS rearranges the files so that messages.0.gz
is the newest archive and messages.4.gz is the oldest. After the maximum of five archive files is
reached, the oldest archive file is replaced with the next oldest. The errShow command displays the
contents of the current system error log only; it does not display archived messages.
Message severity levels
There are six severity levels for messages, ranging from Panic to Debug. The definitions in Table 12 can be
used as general guidelines for troubleshooting. See the HP StorageWorks XPath OS 7.4.x system error
messages reference guide for complete error message descriptions; review the descriptions thoroughly
before taking action.
Table 11 Managing the system error log
Command Description
errShow Displays the contents of the system error log.
errClear Clears the contents of the system error log.