Configure capture of PostgreSQL server logs and major version upgrade logs

APPLIES TO: Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server

You can use PostgreSQL server logs to diagnose specific issues experienced in an Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server, and to gain detailed insights about the activities that run on your servers. You can use major version upgrade logs to troubleshoot errors that might occur during an attempt to upgrade your server to a higher major version of PostgreSQL.

By default, capturing server logs for download in an Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server is disabled. However, after you enable the feature, your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server starts capturing the server logs to files, which you can download for detailed inspection. You can use Azure portal or Azure CLI commands to list and download these files that can assist you with any troubleshooting efforts.

This article explains how to enable and disable the feature. It also describes how you can list all available server logs, and how can you download any of them.

Enable the capture of PostgreSQL server logs and major version upgrade logs for download

Portal

Using the Azure portal:

1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server.

2. In the resource menu, under the Monitoring section, select Server logs.

   

3. Under Download server logs, mark the Enable checkbox.

   

4. By default, log files are retained for three days, but you can adjust the retention period from 1 to 7 days. Use the Retention period (in days) slicer to adjust to your desired configuration.

   

5. Select the Save button.

   

6. A notification informs you that the service is configuring the capture of logs for download.

   

7. Once the operation ends, a notification informs you that the service completed the configuration of the capture of logs for download.

   

CLI

You can enable the capture of PostgreSQL server logs and major version upgrade logs via the az postgres flexible-server parameter set command.

To enable the capture of the logs for download, use this command:

az postgres flexible-server parameter --resource-group <resource_group> --server-name <server> --name logfiles.download_enable --value on

To adjust the retention period for the logs that are captured for download, use this command:

az postgres flexible-server parameter --resource-group <resource_group> --server-name <server> --name logfiles.retention_days --value <retention_period_in_days>

Allowed values for server parameter logfiles.retention_days can be between 1 and 7 days. If you try to set it to a different value, you get this error:

Code: ServerParameterToCMSUnAllowedParameterValue
Message: The value: [<value>] of Server Parameter: [logfiles.retention_days] is invalid, the allowed values are: [1-7]

Note

• A few minutes after enabling the capture of server logs for download, the first log will be available for download.

• Initially, and for approximately one hour, server logs occupy data disk space. Then, they're moved to backup storage and kept there for the configured retention period.

Disable the capture of PostgreSQL server logs and major version upgrade logs for download

Portal

Using the Azure portal:

1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server.

2. In the resource menu, under the Monitoring section, select Server logs.

   

3. Under Download server logs, clear the Enable checkbox.

   

4. Select the Save button.

   

5. A notification informs you that the service is configuring the capture of logs for download.

   

6. Once the operation ends, a notification informs you that the service completed the configuration of the capture of logs for download.

   

CLI

You can disable the capture of PostgreSQL server logs and major version upgrade logs via the az postgres flexible-server parameter set command.

To disable the capture of the logs for download, use this command:

az postgres flexible-server parameter --resource-group <resource_group> --server-name <server> --name logfiles.download_enable --value off

List captured logs available for download

Portal

Using the Azure portal:

1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server.

2. In the resource menu, under the Monitoring section, select Server logs.

   

3. A table shows all captured log files which aren't deleted yet. Files which were captured at some point, but were deleted because they exceeded the configured retention period, aren't visible or accessible anymore. Using the Search for a log file, Log time range, and Log Type boxes, you can define filtering conditions to reduce the logs shown. By selecting a column header, you can sort the list of visible log files, in ascending or descending order, by the value of the attribute represented by the selected header. Under each available column, you can see the different attributes of each file:

   • Name: Name of the log file. The service assigns each log file a name with this pattern postgresql_yyyy_mm_dd_hh_00_00.log.
   • Last update time: Timestamp of the last time each log file was uploaded. Log files are uploaded, approximately, every 10 minutes.
   • Size: Size in bytes occupied by the log file.
   • Log Type: Server Log indicates the file corresponds to a PostgreSQL server log. Upgrade Log indicates the file corresponds to a major version upgrade log.

   

4. Content of the table isn't automatically updated. To see the most recent information, you can select Refresh.

   

CLI

You can list the captured PostgreSQL server logs and major version upgrade logs via the az postgres flexible-server server-logs list command.

To list all captured logs available for download, which were updated in the last 72 hours (default value), use this command:

az postgres flexible-server server-logs list --resource-group <resource_group> --server-name <server>

To list all captured logs available for download, which were updated in the last 10 hours, use this command:

az postgres flexible-server server-logs list --resource-group <resource_group> --server-name <server> --file-last-written 10

To list all captured logs available for download, whose size is under 30 KiB, use this command:

az postgres flexible-server server-logs list --resource-group <resource_group> --server-name <server> --max-file-size 30

To list all captured logs available for download, whose name contains 01_07, use this command:

az postgres flexible-server server-logs list --resource-group <resource_group> --server-name <server> --filename-contains 01_07

Download captured logs available for download

Portal

Using the Azure portal:

1. Select your Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server.

2. In the resource menu, under the Monitoring section, select Server logs.

   

3. A table shows all captured log files which aren't deleted yet. Files which were captured at some point, but were deleted because they exceeded the configured retention period, aren't visible or accessible anymore. Using the Search for a log file, Log time range, and Log Type boxes, you can define filtering conditions to reduce the logs shown. By selecting a column header, you can sort the list of visible log files, in ascending or descending order, by the value of the attribute represented by the selected header. Identify the log that you want to download and, under the Actions column, select Download.

   

4. If you want to download multiple log files at one time, select all the files that you want to download, and select Download in the toolbar.

   

5. Content of the table isn't automatically updated. To see the most recent information, you can select Refresh.

   

CLI

You can download the captured PostgreSQL server logs and major version upgrade logs via the az postgres flexible-server server-logs download command.

To download one specific log, use this command:

az postgres flexible-server server-logs download --resource-group <resource_group> --server-name <server> --name <log_name>

To download one specific log, use this command:

az postgres flexible-server server-logs download --resource-group <resource_group> --server-name <server> --name <log1_name log2_name ...logn_name>

Note

• For the file names provided for which there're log files with matching names available to download, a local file is created with the same name and contents.

• If any of the file names provided aren't available to download, the command doesn't report any error. It simply doesn't download that file.

Share your suggestions and bugs with the Azure Database for PostgreSQL product team.

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