System Center Configuration Manager Training - Troubleshooting

System Center Configuration Manager Log Files see included Excel spreadsheet
Included with this course is an Excel spreadsheet that provides you with a list of just about
every log file that you will run across as you deploy System Center Configuration Manager in
your environment. By default, this log file list is sorted by the name of the log file and includes
the following information:
Component. Indicates the component that uses the log file. Many log files are SCCM
site server role-specific, and this is reflected here. For log files that are general to a site
server or client, this column simply indicates site server or client.

Log file name. The name of the log file, without the .log extension.

Description. From Microsofts documentation, a description of the log file.

Client log file location. If the log file pertains to a client, this column identifies the
directory in which youll find the log file on the client.

Site server log file location. If the log file pertains to a site server, this column identifies
the location of the file.
At first, you may wonder how a log file can exist on both a client and a site server. Bear in mind
that, in many cases, a site server is also a client and will have client log files. In some cases, a
client-oriented log file stored on a site server will be located in a different location than the
same file on a regular client.
Note that this log file list pertains only to 32-bit clients and servers. If you have 64-bit clients,
log file locations may differ.
This file is presented to you in Excel so that you can easily sort by different columns if you like.




SCCM Toolkit
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=948e477e-fd3b-
4a09-9015-141683c7ad5f
Included in the SCCM toolkit is a utility called Trace32, a powerful and extraordinarily useful log
file analyzer. SCCM log files can be intimidating and difficult to traverse if you try to use them
with a simple text editor. Trace32 provides you with at-a-glance log file analysis, including red
bars that highlight errors and easier ways to determine the time at which a particular event was
written to a log.
The toolkit also includes a tool called Client Spy which is a tool that can help troubleshoot issues
related to software distribution, inventory, and software metering on Configuration Manager
2007 clients.
Status Information in the SCCM Console
A few times in the course, you got to see me use the status node in the SCCM Console to get a
look at status messages that can denote success or failure of a particular component or service.
Make sure to explore this node in your own environment as it can provide you with invaluable
insight into the health of your SCCM infrastructure.
Microsoft SCCM Troubleshooting Information
Microsoft maintains a complete SCCM troubleshooting guide at
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-ca/library/bb632812.aspx. Troubleshooting tips are provided
for every SCCM component.