Introduction
This article explains how to enable and capture system logs (syslog) from your Amino media players using Orchestrate. This is a vital tool for operators who need to retrieve syslog from selected devices for in-depth troubleshooting.
Prerequisites
To use this feature, you need to request enabling it to assist Amino in managing the substantial amount of data that can be collected. Contact Amino customer support to enable this feature for your Orchestrate domain. The default service limits per domain are 5 concurrent logging sessions and a 5GB log buffer.
Summary
Setting up logging on a device
To enable syslog on a device, navigate to Devices > Device List and click on the Serial Number of the device you want to monitor. Once on the device dashboard page:
- Press on the "Advanced Logging" tab bellow the "Device Key Metrics" panel.
- Switch the Enable Logging toggle to ON. This will open the Advanced Logging Settings menu.
For standard troubleshooting, we recommend the following settings:
- Log Level: Debug.
- Buffer: Default.
- Circular Buffer (Optional): If the issue is intermittent or hard to reproduce, check the Enable circular buffer box.
Suggested settings for long-term monitoring: Circular Buffer Size = 3GB and Circular Buffer Auto Stop Time (Days) = 5. (These values can be adjusted depending on the specific nature of the issue).
- Click Start Logging. You will see a confirmation message: "Advanced device logging is enabled".
Managing Logs
Once logging is active, the Advanced Logging tab will display the current session details, including the Start Date, Status, and Configuration.
- Monitoring Progress: To verify the device is uploading logs, check the Last Update field. You may need to refresh the page to see the latest timestamps.
- Stopping the Session: To end the capture, switch the Enable Logging toggle to OFF. A pop-up will appear asking: "Do you want to stop advanced logging?". Click Stop Logging.
Download & Delete: Once the device logging has stopped, you can download the syslog to your PC or delete it to free up storage space. It is important to manage your log storage to stay within your organization's limits.
Send logs to a remote Syslog server
To automatically send logs from the device to your own Syslog Server you just add the following INI option via Orchestrate, DHCP, or USB for a standalone environment:
logremoted.server = <Syslog IP address>
Note that a low log level may not contain sufficient information for troubleshooting.
To change the syslog level the following option needs to be set:
logremoted.priority=<consider the below options>
- Verbose (default)
- DEBUG
- INFO
- WARN
- ERROR
- FATAL
- Silent
A reboot is needed for the changes to take effect
Additional Information
If the device is rebooted with logging enabled, please stop and start logging again. Verify whether the device is uploading syslog to Orchestrate by refreshing the device logging page with F5 and checking if the "Last Updated" field value is changing.
Important Considerations:
- CPU Usage: Generating a high volume of Syslog events increases CPU usage. For this reason, do not enable high-level logging on production devices. High log levels (DEBUG/VERBOSE) should be reserved for test or lab units only.
- Reboots: If a device is rebooted while logging is enabled via the UI, it is recommended to stop and restart the logging session to ensure continuity.
- Group Separation: Orchestrate allows you to isolate specific devices into a dedicated Configuration (group). This is the best way to apply high log levels to specific units for testing without affecting your entire device population.
References
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