How To: Capture a .NET Trace log for troubleshooting

Applies to:

Any version of TPP since this is a Windows and .NET function.

Summary: 

At times engineering will request a .NET trace to capture verbose logging from our processes and see the network behavior between Venafi and other "devices" or destinations. This would include things like your CA for a CSR request, or a Load Balancer you're trying to provision, or maybe a Unix server you're trying to do some onboard discovery of. MOST of the time when communicating with other devices we're making REST API calls, and for these, this .NET trace is perfect!

The following information comes from Microsoft, which we built this from:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/network-programming/how-to-configure-network-tracing

Additionally, we'll help you read your own if you choose, to advance your own troubleshooting efforts.

More Information:

Capturing the Trace

There are two possible uses for this:

1. Creating a "Default" or stand-alone generic file (attached) to watch traffic and code "in general".
2. Creating a "Specialized" trace for troubleshooting within our product (used rarely)

Normally, the first application is what's used.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to perform this on the server which will be actually performing the task! If you have multiple TPP servers, you may want to disable that specific role on others temporarily so that only THIS server can perform the task while you capture the problem. Otherwise, you'd have to load this up on each of the servers you have. and restart all the services.

The Default Trace

1. Download the attached "VPlatform.exe.config"
2. Place it into the [Programs Files]\Venafi\Platform folder.
3. Restart the VPlatform service when you are ready to re-create the error.
4. Reproduce the issue. This will create a file called "network.log" in [Programs Files]\Venafi\Platform with the socket trace data.
5. Remove or rename the "VPlatform.exe.config" file, and restart the service again to stop logging.
   First, this makes the log shorter and easier to read. Second, you don't want to fill the drive with useless logs!

 

The Specialized Trace

This is very similar to the process above, except you are modifying a file already present.  This is useful when you want to catch for example Webadmin talking to a CA. Ensure you login to Webadmin on the host you added this too:

1. Download the Config_Add-in_Code.xml attached.
2. Copy the contents into the Web.config file located in the [Programs Files]\Venafi\Web\Admin folder. Be sure to place this between the initial tags (if you're not sure how, ask for help from support).
3. Restart the IIS service when you are ready to re-create the error.
4. Reproduce the issue. This will create a file called "network.log" in [Programs Files]\Venafi\Web\Admin with the socket trace data.
5. Remove the added contents from Web.config and restart the service again to stop logging.

Verbose logs

VPlatform.exe_verbose.config attached, rename this to VPlatform.exe.config, this will give more verbose details including time stamps.

 

Next Steps.

 

Be sure to include the standard Venafi logging (Default SQL Channel) that goes with this and possibly the IP addresses of the TPP server and the target server(s) when this is submitted to Support.