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SAA Logs

While SAA commands run, log messages are recorded for issue tracking and reproduction. This page details the types of logs SAA generates.

Command Usage History

When an SAA command is executed, the executed command with its options is automatically logged to an saa.log file. The root cause of an issue may result from previously executed commands, so a history of command usage makes issue investigation easier.

  • Use the -p or -f option to supply a password — these two options cannot be used together.
  • For concurrent execution of OOB commands across multiple systems, use the -l option. See Basic User Interface for details.
  • Every command execution is recorded in saa.log. In addition, when rare exceptions occur in BMC/CMM/RAID configuration get/set commands, timestamped logs are created. If the /var/log/supermicro/SAA folder exists, logs are stored there; otherwise they are stored in the same folder as $PWD (Unix-like OS) or %cd% (Windows).
  • For the --reboot option in OOB usage: if the target OS supports software shutdown and has X-Window installed on Red Hat, the system is forced to power off and then power back up. Ensure data is saved before running the SAA command — whether software shutdown is supported from the console prompt depends on the Red Hat version.

  • If the system is configured to hibernate or sleep, it may hang when rebooted. To avoid this, run the following in the target OS before updating BIOS:

    bash gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power power-button-action nothing

  • With the --post_complete option, SAA waits until the managed system's POST completes, so the system is ready for the next OOB action.

Critical Error Log

When SAA encounters a critical error, the error message is logged automatically. Like system error logs, critical error messages are always notable and require further action.

Multiple-System Log

When an SAA command runs in multiple-system mode (with -l), a multiple-system log is generated automatically. It summarizes all running results across systems, including running status (FAILED or SUCCESS), execution time, and exit codes.

Command Execution Journal

The journal records footprint messages during command execution. Severity levels range from 0 to 6 — level 0 (silent) generates no messages, and level 6 (verbose) generates the most. Journal entries are also tagged with functional categories, such as GENERIC (messages that don't fit any particular category) or CURL (messages related to the curl library), so the journal can be filtered quickly during investigation.

By default the journal is disabled (severity level 0). Enable it with the --journal_level option (higher priority) or the .saarc configuration (lower priority). By default the journal is created in the user home directory; the --journal_path option (higher priority) or .saarc configuration (lower priority) overrides the output path.

Log Types and Output Path Priorities

Log Type Activation Output Path Priority
Command usage history Always activated 1. --journal_path option (log exists in the "History" subfolder of the defined path)
2. /var/log/supermicro/SAA
3. $PWD (Linux) or %cd% (Windows)
Critical error log Always activated 1. --journal_path option (log exists in the "Critical" subfolder of the defined path)
2. /var/log/supermicro/SAA
3. $PWD (Linux) or %cd% (Windows)
Multiple system log Always activated 1. --journal_path option (log exists in the "Multiple" subfolder of the defined path)
2. /var/log/supermicro/SAA
3. Same directory as the multiple-system list file
Command execution journal Activated by configuration 1. --journal_path option (log exists in the defined path)
2. .saarc in the home directory
3. ~/journal/supermicro/saa/ (Linux) or %HomePath%\journal\supermicro\saa\ (Windows)