Enable logging for troubleshooting
Only enable logging if you experience an issue in your Profile Management deployment and want to troubleshoot it. In addition, disable logging when the issue is resolved and delete the log files, which might contain sensitive information.
If you choose to configure the Profile Management policies in Citrix Studio, complete the following steps:
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Start Citrix Studio.
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In the left pane, click Policies.
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In the Create Policy window, type the policy in the search box. For example, type “enable logging.”
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Click Select to open the Enable logging policy.
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Select Enabled and then click OK.
Policy: Enable logging
This policy enables or disables logging. Only enable this policy if you are troubleshooting Profile Management.
If Enable logging is disabled, only errors are logged. If this policy is not configured in GP, the value from the .ini file is used. If this policy is not configured in GP or the .ini file, only errors are logged.
Policy: Log settings
This policy is a set of options that you can use to focus on specific actions and events. Only set these options if you are troubleshooting, and set them all unless you are requested to do otherwise by Citrix personnel.
If Log settings are not configured in GP, Profile Management uses the settings from the .ini file. If this policy is not configured in GP or the .ini file, errors and general information are logged.
Policy: Maximum size of the log file
The default value for the maximum size of the Profile Management log file is 10 MB (10,485,760 bytes). If you have sufficient disk space, increase it to 20 MB (20,971,520 bytes), or more. If the log file grows beyond the maximum size, an existing backup of the file (.bak) is deleted. And the log file is renamed to .bak and a new log file is created. The log file is created in %SystemRoot%\System32\Logfiles\UserProfileManager.
In Citrix Virtual Desktops deployments that use Machine Creation Services a persistent folder imposes a 15 MB (15,728,640 bytes) limit on log files (not just Profile Management ones). You can store your log files on a system disk, where this limitation does not apply. Or use this policy to restrict the log file size to a maximum of 7 MB (7,864,320 bytes). Profile Management can then store, on the persistent folder, the current log file, and the previous one as a .bak file.
If this policy is disabled, the default value of 10 MB (10,485,760 bytes) is used. If this setting is not configured in GP, the value from the .ini file is used. If this setting is not configured in GP or the .ini file, the default value is used.
Policy: Path to log file
You can set an alternative path to which the log files are saved. The path can be to a local drive or a remote, network-based one (a UNC path). Remote paths can be useful in large, distributed environments, but they can create significant network traffic, which might be inappropriate for log files.
For profiles on virtual machines, consider whether drives on the desktops are persistent because it affects logging. If a desktop has a persistent drive (for example, if it was created with a Personal vDisk using Citrix Virtual Desktops), set a local path to it. The log files are preserved when the machine restarts. If a desktop does not have a persistent drive (for example, it was created without a Personal vDisk using Citrix Virtual Desktops), set a UNC path. This setup allows you to retain the log files but the system account for the machines must have write access to the UNC share. Use a local path for any laptops managed by the offline profiles feature.
If a UNC path is used for log files:
- We recommend that an access control list is applied to the log file folder. It is to ensure that only authorized user or computer accounts can access the stored files.
- Duplicate log files remain locally. These files can be left on the computer. But if you want to remove them, first stop the Profile Management Service. Delete the log file and the configuration log file. Then restart the computer.
- Set NTFS and SMB share level permissions to Domain computers Read/Write.
Examples:
- D:\LogFiles\ProfileManagement
- \\servername\LogFiles\ProfileManagement
If the Path to log file policy is not configured in GP, the value from the .ini file is used. If this policy is not configured in GP or the .ini file, the default location %SystemRoot%\System32\Logfiles\UserProfileManager is used.
For the special case of Citrix Virtual Desktops Machine Creation Services, a local, persistent folder is mapped to the C drive at C:\Program Files\Citrix\PvsVM\Service\PersistedData. It is a good location to store up to 15 MB of log data. If you use it, note the limit on the Maximum size of the log file.