HP StorageWorks XPath OS 7.4.X System Error Messages Reference Guide (AA-RVHGC-TE, September 2005)

XPath OS 7.4.x system error messages reference guide 13
1 Introduction to system error messages
This chapter provides information on the XPath OS error log and event log. The following topics are
discussed:
• XPath OS logging next
• Message severity levels, page 14
• These procedures explain error log management., page 15
• Sample error log message, page 16
• Clearing the error log, page 16
• Event log tasks, page 16
• Configuring the syslog daemon, page 18
• Module descriptions, page 20
XPath OS logging
There are three log file frameworks in the XPath OS:
• Error log: Viewed using the errShow command. This log displays system daemon errors, in addition to
all events from the event log.
• Event log: Viewed using the eventShow command. This log displays only events.
• Port log: Viewed using the portLogShow or portLogDump commands. This log displays port
information.
HP recommends that for most MP Router troubleshooting tasks you refer to the error log using the errShow
command. The XPath OS error log is formatted to match the Fabric OS error message format, and provides
a complete set of system messages. The event log provides a limited set of event messages, and does not
display errors from the firmware subsystems.
Error log
View this log using the errShow command. It displays system errors, such as faulty or failing daemon
processes in the firmware, as well all the events listed in the event log.
This document focuses on the error log because it is an aggregate of system daemon errors and all the
events listed in the event log.
System error messages are saved in the /var/log/messages directory. Once the message file has
reached 512 K, the XPath OS archives the log with the file name messages.0.gz, and creates a new
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. Once the maximum of five archive files is reached, the oldest
archive file is replaced with any new archive file.
The errShow command displays only the contents of the current error log and does not display archived
messages. Table 2 describes the error log commands.
Table 2 Managing the error log
Command Description
errShow Displays the contents of the error log.
errClear Clears the contents of the error log.