Installation log files

For debugging purposes, the installation program logs installation actions in files that are located in the /tmp directory. The table lists the log files.

Table 1. Log files generated during the installation
Log file Contents

/tmp/anaconda.log

General messages.

/tmp/program.log

All external programs run during the installation.

/tmp/storage.log

Extensive storage module information.

/tmp/packaging.log

dnf and rpm package installation messages.

/tmp/dbus.log

Information about the dbus session that is used for installation program modules.

/tmp/sensitive-info.log

Configuration information that is not part of other logs and not copied to the installed system.

/tmp/syslog

Hardware-related system messages. This file contains messages from other Anaconda files.

If the installation fails, the messages are consolidated into /tmp/anaconda-tb-identifier, where identifier is a random string. After a successful installation, these files are copied to the installed system under the directory /var/log/anaconda/. However, if the installation is unsuccessful, or if the inst.nosave=all or inst.nosave=logs options are used when booting the installation system, these logs only exist in the installation program’s RAM disk. This means that the logs are not saved permanently and are lost when the system is powered down. To store them permanently, copy the files to another system on the network or copy them to a mounted storage device such as a USB flash drive.

Create pre-installation log files
Copy link

You can set the inst.debug option to create log files before the installation process starts. These log files contain, for example, the current storage configuration.

Before you begin
Copy link

  • The Red Hat Enterprise Linux boot menu is open.

Procedure
Copy link

  1. Select the Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux option from the boot menu.
  2. Press the Tab key on BIOS-based systems or the e key on UEFI-based systems to edit the selected boot options.
  3. Append inst.debug to the options. For example: 
    vmlinuz ... inst.debug
  4. Press the Enter key on your keyboard. The system stores the pre-installation log files in the /tmp/pre-anaconda-logs/ directory before the installation program starts.
  5. Press Ctrl + Alt + F2 to switch to the console and access the log files.
  6. Change to the /tmp/pre-anaconda-logs/ directory: 
    # cd /tmp/pre-anaconda-logs/

Transfer installation log files to a USB drive
Copy link

You can transfer installation log files to a USB drive to share it further.

Before you begin
Copy link

  • You have backed up data from the USB drive.
  • You are logged into a root account and you have access to the installation program’s temporary file system.

Procedure
Copy link

  1. Press Ctrl + Alt + F2 to access a shell prompt on the system you are installing.
  2. Connect a USB flash drive to the system and run the dmesg command: 
    # dmesg

    A log detailing all recent events is displayed. At the end of this log, a set of messages is displayed. For example:

    [ 170.171135] sd 5:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
  3. Note the name of the connected device. In the earlier example, it is sdb.
  4. Navigate to the /mnt directory and create a new directory that serves as the mount target for the USB drive. This example uses the name usb: 
    # mkdir usb
  5. Mount the USB flash drive onto the newly created directory. In most cases, you do not want to mount the whole drive, but a partition on it. Do not use the name sdb, use the name of the partition you want to write the log files to. In this example, the name sdb1 is used: 
    # mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb
  6. Verify that you mounted the correct device and partition by accessing it and listing its contents: 
    # cd /mnt/usb
     
    # ls
  7. Copy the log files to the mounted device. 
    # cp /tmp/*log /mnt/usb
  8. Unmount the USB flash drive. If you receive an error message that the target is busy, change your working directory to outside the mount (for example, /). 
    # umount /mnt/usb

Transfer installation log files over the network
Copy link

Transfer RHEL installation log files over the network to analyze installation issues and troubleshoot problems. By using this method, you can collect diagnostic information from systems where local access is limited or when you need to share logs with support teams.

Before you begin
Copy link

  • You are logged into a root account and you have access to the installation program’s temporary file system.

Procedure
Copy link

  1. Press Ctrl + Alt + F2 to access a shell prompt on the system you are installing.
  2. Switch to the /tmp directory where the log files are located: 
    # cd /tmp
  3. Copy the log files onto another system on the network using the scp command: 
    # scp *log user@address:path
    1. Replace user with a valid user name on the target system. Replace address with the target system’s address or host name. Replace path with the path to the directory where you want to save the log files. For example, if you want to log in as john on a system with an IP address of 192.168.0.122. To store log files in the /home/john/logs/ directory on that system, use the following command: 
      # scp *log john@192.168.0.122:/home/john/logs/

      When connecting to the target system for the first time, the SSH client asks you to confirm that the fingerprint of the remote system is correct and that you want to continue:

      The authenticity of host '192.168.0.122 (192.168.0.122)' can't be established.
ECDSA key fingerprint is a4:60:76:eb:b2:d0:aa:23:af:3d:59:5c:de:bb:c4:42.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?
    2. Type yes and press Enter to continue. Provide a valid password when prompted. The files are transferred to the specified directory on the target system.