Logging paths

This page lists the default paths of the BigFix log files relative to: installation, upgrade, running components, plugins, and audit.

For information detailing how to enable, disable, and configure these logs, see Configuring logs.

Running components logs

Root Server log
  • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\BESRelay.log
  • Linux: /var/log/BESRelay.log
Server audit log
  • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\server_audit.log
  • Linux: /var/opt/BESServer/server_audit.log
FillDB log
  • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\FillDBData\FillDB.log
  • Linux: /var/opt/BESServer/FillDBData/FillDB.log
GatherDB log
  • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\GatherDBData\GatherDB.log
  • Linux: /var/opt/BESServer/GatherDBData/GatherDB.log
Gather Status Report
  • Windows: http://127.0.0.1:52311/cgi-bin/bfenterprise/BESGatherMirrorNew.exe
  • Linux: Status Report does not exist.
Relay log
  • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES Relay\logfile.txt
  • Linux: /var/log/BESRelay.log
BESAdmin log
  • On Windows, there are two or more BESAdmin log files:
    • For each user that runs BESAdmin, there is a specific log file

      C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\BigFix\BESAdminDebugOut.txt

      For example: C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\BigFix\BESAdminDebugOut.txt

    • When BESAdmin is called by a Fixlet (or run as LocalSystem), the log file is

      C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\BigFix\BESAdminDebugOut.txt

  • On Linux systems, there is a single log file, located in the following folder:
    • /var/log/BESAdminDebugOut.txt
BESAdmin audit log
  • On Windows, there are two or more BESAdmin log files:
    • For each user that runs BESAdmin, there is a specific log file

      C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\BigFix\besadmin_audit.log

      For example: C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\BigFix\besadmin_audit.log

    • When BESAdmin is called by a Fixlet (or run as LocalSystem), the log file is

      C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\BigFix\besadmin_audit.log

  • On Linux systems, there is a single log file, located in the following folder:
    • /var/log/besadmin_audit.log

BESTools log

  • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\BESTools.log
  • Linux: /var/log/BESTools.log

BES Server Plugin Service log

The directory of the log file is C:\Program Files\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\Applications\Logs.

Note: If you change the name or the path of log files, to avoid character display problems, ensure to use names that have only ASCII characters and not non-ASCII characters.
Web Reports database initialization log
  • Windows: C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\BigFix\BESInitializeBESReportsDB.txt

    For example: C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\BigFix\BESInitializeBESReportsDB.txt

  • Linux: /var/log/BESInitializeBESReportsDB.txt
BigFix Explorer log
  • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES Explorer\BESExplorer.log
  • Linux: /var/log/BESExplorer.log

Plugin Portal log

The BigFix Plugin Portal log file is located in the following default paths.
  • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES Plugin Portal\BESPluginPortal.log
  • Linux: /var/log/BESPluginPortal.log
Each cloud plugin stores its log files in its own folder.
  • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES Plugin Portal\Plugins\<Plugin_name>\Logs\log.txt
  • Linux: /var/opt/BESPluginPortal/Plugins/<Plugin_name>/Logs/log.txt

WebUI logs

The BigFix WebUI has several logs. There is a single log for the service and several for the NodeJS processes.

BES WebUI Service application log

  • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES WebUI\service-wrapper.log
  • Linux: /var/opt/BESWebUI/service-wrapper.log

WebUI NodeJS processes log folder

  • Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES WebUI\WebUI\logs
  • Linux: /var/opt/BESWebUI/WebUI/logs

Client log

The BigFix Client records its current activity into a log file with the current date as the file name in the format [year][month][day].log. If an active log reaches 512K in size it will be moved to a backup (.bkg) file and a new log will be started for the current day. If the log reaches 512K again the backup will overwrite the existing backup. Both the active and backup logs will be deleted after ten days. These are the default locations of the BigFix Client logs for each operating system:
  • Windows: C:\Program Files\BigFix Enterprise\BES Client\__BESData\__Global\Logs
  • UNIX, Linux: /var/opt/BESClient/__BESData/__Global/Logs
  • Mac: /Library/Application Support/Bigfix/BES Agent/__BESData/__Global/Logs

Fixlet installation and upgrade logs

If you install or upgrade a BigFix component using a Fixlet, the path of the installation log is determined by the Fixlet.

The paths of the setup logs of the installation Fixlets are:
  • {BigFix Client folder}\BesClientDeployToolInstall.log, for the Client Deploy Tool (CDT)
  • {BigFix Client folder}\BesConsoleInstall.log, for the Console
  • {BigFix Client folder}\BesPluginPortalInstall.log, for the Plugin Portal
  • {BigFix Client folder}\BesExplorerInstall.log, for the Explorer
  • {BigFix Client folder}\BesRelayInstall.log, for the Relay
  • {BigFix Client folder}\BesWebUiInstall.log, for the WebUI Service
The paths of the setup logs of the upgrade Fixlets are:
  • C:\BesInstallationGeneratorUpgrade.log
  • C:\BesServerUpgrade.log, for the Server and local Web Reports
  • C:\BesWebReportsUpgrade.log, for standalone (remote) Web Reports
  • {BigFix Client folder}\BesClientDeployToolInstall.log, for the Client Deploy Tool (CDT)
  • {BigFix Client folder}\BesClientUpgrade.log, for the Windows Client
  • /Library/Logs/BESAgent.log, for the Mac Client
  • {BigFix Client folder}/BesClientUpgrade.log, for all the others Clients
  • {BigFix Explorer folder}\BesExplorerUpgrade.log, for the Explorer
  • {BigFix Relay folder}\BesRelayUpgrade.log, for the Relay
  • {BigFix Server API folder}\BesServerApiUpgrade.log, for the Server API
  • {BigFix WebUI folder}\BesWebUiUpgrade.log, for the WebUI Service

Manual installation and upgrade logs on Windows

Before BigFix 10.0.8, no log is created by default when manually running a BigFix installer on Windows.

Such logs can still be created by passing specific options to the installers or by changing the default Windows settings as described here to globally enable the installation logging.

Starting from BigFix 10.0.8, if you run an .exe setup manually to install or upgrade a BigFix component, the installation log will be saved in the %LocalAppData% folder.

When .exe setups are run manually, their logs are named:
  • BesClientInstall.log, for the Client
  • BesConsoleInstall.log, for the Console
  • BesInstallationGeneratorInstall.log, for the Installation Generator
  • BesPluginPortalInstall.log, for the Plugin Portal
  • BesRelayInstall.log, for the Relay
  • BesServerApiInstall.log, for the Server API
  • BesServerInstall.log, for the Server and/or Web Reports
  • BesWebUiInstall.log, for the WebUI Service

If you run an .msi setup manually to install or upgrade a BigFix component, the installation log will be saved in the %temp% folder. Their names are randomly generated but follow the pattern: Msi*.log.

Manual installation and upgrade logs on Linux

On Linux, the BigFix Server installer always produces a log by default and saves it in /var/log/BESInstall.log.

Remember that the BigFix Server installer can install several components at once: the Server, Web Reports, the WebUI and the Client.

The Client upgrade Fixlets create a log since BigFix Version 10 Patch 8.

Chart of installation log locations