Q: Where can I find the most common ESXi log files?

A: Troubleshooting ESXi often requires digging through its text-based log files. You can use the tail command at the command prompt to see the last few lines for any log. The hard part, sometimes, can be in finding where each log is stored. Here's a rundown on the location ESXi's log files to aid your troubleshooting:

/var/log/messages: Contains VMkernel, vmkwarning, and hostd logs.

/var/log/vmware/hostd.log: Contains the Host Management services hostd log.

/var/log/vmware/vmware/vpx/vpxa.log: Contains the VirtualCenter Agent log.

/var/log/sysboot.log: Contains the system boot log.

/var/log/vmware/aam/vmware_-xxx.log: Contains the Automatic Availability Manager log.