By Gina Daly, Technical Writer for Technical Marketing, End-User Computing, VMware
With significant contributions from:
Stephane Asselin, Senior End-User-Computing Architect, Technical Enablement, End-User Computing, VMware
Jason Marshall, Manager, Product Engineering, End-User Computing, VMware
Andrew Johnson, Senior Manager and Staff Architect, EUC Technical Marketing and Enablement, VMware
Welcome to part 2 of How to Troubleshoot an App Volumes Environment. We are discussing steps to take when diagnosing an issue in your environment. Let us run through a quick recap. In part 1 of How to Troubleshoot an App Volumes Environment, we covered checking deployment requirements, how to find clues on the App Volumes Manager console, using log analysis tools, and knowing what to search for in the logs.
App Volumes Troubleshooting Steps
This blog covers using the Ruby on Rails console and the SQL database to verify configuration details and environment settings, and lists the relevant Knowledge Base articles to use.
Let us take a look at the next step.
- Use the Ruby on Rails console to query configuration information directly.
You can use the Ruby on Rails console to execute queries and run scripts. The most common use case is to look at an internal object that may not be fully displayed in the App Volumes Manager console, for example, if an AppStack is not correctly displaying the machines or users it is attached to. However, it is advisable to use this tool with caution, as modifying values here could have a serious effect on your environment. If you are unfamiliar with the Ruby console, it would be wise to practice running commands in a test setup before applying changes in a production setup.
You can launch the Ruby console from a Windows command prompt on the App Volumes Manager server. Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\CloudVolumes\Manager and enter
svmanager_run script\rails console
After the Ruby on Rails console loads, you can run a number of commands to confirm configuration details. For example, to list all the App Volumes Agent machines in your environment, enter ap Machine.all. You need to prefix all commands with “ap” to make the output readable. (The “ap” prefix stands for “awesome print” and results in verbose text.)
If you are new to Rails, or want to learn about Rails in general, see the Ruby on Rails Guides. Alternatively, to get straight into the command line options, see A Guide to the Rails Command Line.
Further details are discussed in Troubleshooting VMware App Volumes using the Ruby on Rails console.
- Query information in the SQL database.
Finally, you can query SQL database contents to help analyze your App Volumes environment. Again, you need to access this database from the App Volumes Manager server. To do this, launch SQL Management Studio Server and connect to the App Volumes SQL database.
Let us take a look at a scenario where the user logs into an App Volumes Agent machine and is not presented with any AppStacks. Each App Volumes Agent machine has an identifier and BIOS_UUID value in the dbo.machines table.
App Volumes SQL Database Listing BIOS_UUID for Agent Machines
This value is sent to the vCenter Server where there is a corresponding virtual machine in the dbo.VPX_VM table (in the vCenter Server database). If vCenter Server cannot find the matching BIOS_UUID after 5 minutes, a timeout occurs, and the user is presented with a virtual machine with no AppStacks attached. You can check values from the App Volumes database and verify if the matching value is in the vCenter Server database.
Searching for BIOS UUID Value in vCenter Server SQL Database
Details are discussed in Troubleshooting VMware App Volumes using the SQL database.
You can be creative with the queries, and, of course, it is helpful to have a SQL expert handy if you are not familiar with SQL commands.
Summary
To summarize, the final steps to follow when troubleshooting your App Volumes environment are:
- Use the Ruby on Rails console to query configuration information directly.
KB: Troubleshooting VMware App Volumes using the Ruby on Rails console - Query information in the SQL database.
KB: Troubleshooting VMware App Volumes using the SQL database
It should be plain sailing from this point, but if you do need further assistance, lower your anchor and reach out to our Technical Support teams. You already have most of the groundwork done. Providing relevant log files and steps taken should allow for a speedy diagnosis and resolution.
