To display logs using the LogViewer GUI

Purpose

Perform this procedure to start the LogViewer GUI utility and view one or more logs. Move the mouse cursor over a GUI object to view a description of the object, for example, a tool bar button.

Steps
 

Log in to a station as the nsp user.


Open a console window.


Enter the following:

bash$ /opt/nsp/nfmp/server/nms/bin/logviewerui.bash ↵

The LogViewer GUI opens with the Quick Links panel or the log tabs in the saved workspace displayed.


To open a log file, perform one of the following:

  1. If the Quick Links panel is displayed, click on a link to view the associated log file.

  2. Choose Quick Links→log_name from the LogViewer main menu.

  3. To open a recently viewed log, choose File→Recent Logs→log_file_name from the LogViewer main menu.

  4. To browse for a log file, perform the following steps:

    1. Choose File→Local Log File from the LogViewer main menu or click Open log in the main tool bar. The Local Log File form opens.

    2. Use the form to navigate to the log-file location.

    3. Select a log file and click Add between the form panels. The log is listed in the panel on the right.

      Note:

      The log file can be in compressed or uncompressed format.

    4. If LogViewer cannot determine the type of log that the file contains, for example, if a log file is renamed, it sets the Type to Other. Use the Type drop-down menu to specify the log type, if required.

    5. Configure the Max. Messages parameter to specify the maximum number of entries that are listed on the log tab. LogViewer removes the oldest entries as required to keep the number of entries at or below this value.

    6. Configure the Auto-Tail parameter to specify whether the log tab dynamically displays the log updates.

    7. Click OK. The Local Log File form closes.

  5. Drag and drop a log file into a section of the LogViewer main window that does not contain a log tab.

  6. Drag and drop a log file onto a log tab in the LogViewer main window. The Add File form opens.

    Perform the following steps:

    1. Choose one of the following options:
      • New View—specifies that the log is displayed on a new log tab

      • Replace Existing File—specifies that the log tab displays the new log instead of the current log

      • Add to View—specifies that the entries in the new log and the entries in the current log are merged into one list on the same log tab

      • Add to Compare View—specifies that the new log is to be displayed on the same log tab as the current log in a separate panel for comparison

    2. Click OK. The new log is displayed as specified.

    A log tab opens to display the most recent entries in a log. If the log is active and the Auto-Tail parameter is enabled, the list scrolls upward to display new log entries as they are generated.

    Note: The Auto-Tail parameter for a log is enabled by default.


Common display operations
 

To specify which columns are displayed on a log tab, right-click on a column header, and select or deselect the column names in the contextual menu, as required.


To reposition a column, drag the column title bar to the desired position, or right-click on the column header and choose Move Left or Move Right.


To view the raw log-file text of one or more entries, select the entries. The entry text is displayed on the Preview sub-tab.


To restrict the list of displayed entries to a specific debug level, choose a debug level from the drop-down menu under the Level column header.


To find log entries that contain a specific text string:

  1. Choose Edit→Find from the LogViewer main menu. The Find form opens.

  2. Specify a text string to search for using the text field and search options on the form.

    Note:

    The LogViewer Find function does not support the use of regular expressions. To perform a search using a regular expression, use the Find In Path function, as described in To search log files in a path.

  3. Click Find, as required, to find the next list entry that contains the text string.

  4. To find all list entries that contain the text string, click Find All. The Find form closes and a new log tab opens to display the result of the search.

  5. Close the Find form if it is open.

    Note:

    After you close the Find form, you can use the F3 key or the Find next button on the main tool bar to perform repeated find operations for the same text string on the same log tab.


10 

To remove one or more log entries from the current view, perform one of the following.

  1. To clear all listed log entries, choose Log→Clear All Events from the LogViewer main menu, or click Clear all in the main tool bar.

  2. To clear the currently selected log entries, choose Log→Clear Selected Events from the LogViewer main menu, or click Clear Selected in the main tool bar.

  3. To clear all log entries that match the currently selected cell, select a cell and choose Log→Hide All Like Selected from the LogViewer main menu, or click Hide All Like Selected in the main tool bar.

  4. To show only log entries that match the currently selected cell, select a cell and choose Log→Show All Like Selected from the LogViewer main menu, or click Show All Like Selected in the main tool bar.


11 

To apply a quick filter, enter a regular expression as a match criterion in the field below a column header and press ↵. The list is cleared, and only subsequent log entries that match the criterion are displayed; see To manage filters using the GUI Filter Manager .


12 

Repeat Step 11 to apply an additional quick filter, if required.


13 

To apply a saved filter:

  1. Choose Log→Add Filter from the LogViewer main menu, or click Add filter in the main tool bar. The Select Filters form opens.

  2. Select one or more filters in the list and click OK. The filters are applied to the log view and are listed on the Filters sub-tab of the log tab.

    See To manage filters using the GUI Filter Manager for information about creating saved filters.


14 

To remove a filter from the log, select the filter in the Filter sub-tab and choose Log→Remove Selected Filters, or click Remove filter in the main tool bar.


15 

If the log display is static, such as for an archived log or the result of a Find All operation, go to Step 22.


Dynamic view operations
 
16 

To edit the log display properties, choose Edit→Edit Log from the LogViewer main menu, or click Edit log in the log tab tool bar, and perform the following steps.

  1. Configure the Max. Messages parameter to specify the maximum number of entries that are listed on the log tab. LogViewer removes the oldest entries as required to keep the number of entries at or below this value.

  2. Configure the Auto-Tail parameter to specify whether the log tab dynamically displays the log updates.

  3. Click OK to close the Local Log File form.


17 

To pause the display of log-file updates, choose Log→Pause from the LogViewer main menu, or click Pause log updates in the log tab tool bar.


18 

To resume the display of log-file updates, choose Log→Initialize Connection from the LogViewer main menu, or click Initialize log updates in the log tab tool bar.


19 

By default, a dynamic log view focuses on a new log entry. To focus the display on an earlier log entry and prevent the display from automatically focusing on a new log update, click Follow latest updates in the log tab tool bar. Click on the button again to enable the default behavior.


20 

To compare logs in real time:

  1. Choose Log→Specify Compare from the LogViewer main menu, or click Add log to compare on the log tab tool bar. The Compare Files form opens.

  2. Use the form to navigate to the log-file location.

  3. Select a log file and click Add between the form panels. The log is listed in the panel on the right.

    Note:

    The log file can be in compressed or uncompressed format.

  4. If LogViewer cannot determine the type of log that the file contains, for example, if a log file is renamed, it sets the Type to Other. Use the Type drop-down menu to specify the log type, if required.

  5. Click OK. The Compare Files form closes, and a second panel opens on the log tab to display the specified log.

    The log entry lines are synchronized by timestamp. Dynamic log updates to each log are displayed as they occur. Blank entry lines serve as spacers to preserve the chronological order of the combined log entries.

  6. By default, the scroll bars in the two panels are synchronized; when you scroll in the right panel, the display in the left panel scrolls by the same amount. Click Synchronize scroll bars between views in the log tab tool bar to disable or re-enable this behavior, as required.

  7. To remove the added log from the comparison, choose Log→Clear Compare from the LogViewer main menu, or click Clear compared logs on the log tab tool bar. The right panel is removed from the log tab form.


21 

To capture one or more log entries for display in a static view on a separate tab:

  1. To capture all listed log entries, choose Log→Full Snapshot from the LogViewer main menu, or click Snap all in the main tool bar.

  2. To capture the currently selected log entries, choose Log→Snapshot from the LogViewer main menu, or click Snap selected in the main tool bar.

    A new tab opens to display the captured log entries in a static view.


Static view operations
 
22 

To sort a list of log entries in a static view, right-click on a column header and choose Sort Ascending, Sort Descending, or No Sort. The log entries are sorted accordingly.

Note: You cannot sort the log entries in a dynamic view, but you can sort the entries in a snapshot of a dynamic log view.


23 

To copy the text of selected log entries to the clipboard, select one or more log entries in a log tab and choose Edit→Copy from the LogViewer main menu, or click Copy in the main tool bar.


24 

To save selected log entries to a file, select one or more log entries in a log tab and click Save Selected in the main tool bar.


25 

To save the current workspace for subsequent sessions, choose File→Save Workspace from the LogViewer main menu, or click Save configuration in the main tool bar.


26 

Choose File→Exit from the LogViewer main menu to close the LogViewer GUI.

End of steps