Troubleshooting

When problems occur when patching AIX endpoints, review the log files to determine what went wrong and how to correct the errors.

Log files

Enhanced logging with clearer error reporting and error handling to improve troubleshooting.
Download Plug-ins
The AIXPlugin.log file lists the results of the downloads related to the execution of the AIX Download Plug-in.
The log can be found in the following locations:
  • On Windows systems: %PROGRAM FILES%\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\DownloadPlugins\AIXProtocol\logs
  • On Linux systems: /var/opt/BESServer/DownloadPlugins/AIXProtocol/logs
The AIXPluginR2.log file lists the results of the downloads related to the execution of the AIX Download Plug-in R2 for third-party applications. The amount of information depends on the logging level.
The log can be found in the following locations:
  • On Windows systems: %PROGRAM FILES%\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\DownloadPlugins\AIXPluginR2Protocol\logs
  • On Linux systems: /var/opt/BESServer/DownloadPlugins/AIXPluginR2Protocol/logs

The log files for the following functions are as follows:

NIM operations
This is the log for all NIM operations that have been executed. You can access the log at <Path to BigFix Data Directory>__NIM_Logs/NIM_Operations_<yyyymmdd>.log. For example, /var/opt/BESClient/__BESData/__NIM_Logs/NIM_Operations_20130520.log.
Installation logs (Technology Level/Service Pack)
Lists all installation logs for Technology Level and Service Pack.
The log can be found at /var/adm/ras/install_all_updates.log. You can also find logs for a specific Technology Level/Service Pack at /var/adm/ras/install_all_updates_<os_level>-<technology_level>-<service_pack>.log.
Installation log (Interim Fix)
Lists installation logs for interim fixes.
The log can be found at /var/opt/BESClient/__BESData/__iFixInstall/<ifix_number>.epkg.Z_result.log.
AIX download cacher
Default log directory of the BigFix client on the target system.
Preview deployment
Logs for the preview deployment feature of the AIX Advanced Deployment Wizard.
The log can be found at /var/opt/BESClient/__BESData/__MLPkgInstall/PreviewLog/preview_<os_level>-<technology_level>-<service_pack>-<build_date>.
Fileset inventory
Log results for fileset inventory can be found at /var/opt/BESClient/__BESData/__AIXInventory.
Breaking mirrors
Log results for breaking mirrors can be found at /var/adm/ras/altDiskNewDeploy.log.
Re-mirroring mirrors
Log results for re-mirroring mirrors can be found at /var/adm/ras/reMirror.log.
Reboot
Log results of the reboot command for operating systems in an alternate disk environment.
The logs can be found at /var/adm/ras/KZCopyAltDiskBESDATA.log and /var/adm/ras/SZCopyAltDiskBESDATA.log.
Multibos
Log files (/var/adm/ras/Multibos*.log) of Multibos tasks are as follows:
  • MultibosExpress.log: Lists the results of the Multibos Express task.
  • MultibosCreateClone.log: Lists the results of the standby BOS creation task.
  • MultibosFixPackDeploy.log: Lists the results of the standby BOS update task.
  • MultibosExpress_emgr.log and MultibosFixPackDeploy_emgr.log: Lists the results of the removal of interim fixes on the standby BOS before installing the updates
  • MultibosDeleteClone.log: Lists the results of the standby BOS removal action.

Download plug-in logging levels

The logging level determines the amount of detail that the AIX Download Plug-in R2 writes to the log files. Set the logging level in the %PROGRAM FILES%\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\DownloadPlugins\AIXPluginR2Protocol\plugin.ini file.

Note: Logging level values are case-sensitive.

The following logging levels are listed in order of increasing amount of information logged:

INFO
Contains general information outlining the progress and successful downloads, with minimal tracing information.
DEBUG
Contains fine-grained information used for troubleshooting issues. This is the most verbose level available.
Note: Setting the logging level to DEBUG increases the amount of information to log, which might have an impact on performance. You must only increase the logging level to DEBUG when investigating an issue.

Proxy information

To ensure that the AIX download plug-in and download cacher tool can download fix packs or patches from Fix Central, bypass the sites listed in this KB article in your proxy applications and include them in your firewall exception.

Null error when configuring BigFix Patch download plug-ins

When the BigFix server and the BigFix client on the BigFix server do not have the same version, users might encounter a null error. The error occurs because BigFix server 8.x and 9.x versions handle encryption differently. The version of the client on the BigFix server is used to determine the BigFix server version and it is assumed that the version is the same for the BigFix server and the client on the BigFix server.

Ensure that the version of the BigFix server and BigFix client on the BigFix server match to avoid null errors when configuring the download plug-in. At a minimum, the version must be on the same major version level, for example 8.x or 9.x.

ActivePerl 5.18 library error

The following error may be encountered when the /tmp directory on the BigFix server is granted no exec permission:
Panic: ‘/usr/lib64/perl5/CORE/libperl.so’ is not an ActivePerl 5.18 library

Therefore, ensure to set the /tmp directory with appropriate permissions.

PeerNext Feature on AIX

PeerNest feature on AIX allows to increase the disk storage space on non-passive PeerNest peers. For more information, see Peer to peer mode at https://help.hcl-software.com/bigfix/9.5/platform/Platform/Config/c_P2P.html