Create a diagnostics file
Overview Copied
When you contact ITRS Support about an Active Console or Gateway issue, attach a diagnostics file so Support can investigate the problem. Active Console creates a zip archive on your workstation that includes workspace and log details from the Active Console session.
The zip also includes a lightweight summary of each Gateway in your workspace (gatewayInfo.json). That summary provides operating system, package, usage, and performance context without requiring future access to the Gateway host.
You do not need to change the Gateway setup. In mixed-version environments, an upgraded Active Console always writes gatewayInfo.json. Richer fields appear when the connected Gateway is also 7.12.0 or later.
Why you should attach a diagnostics file Copied
Attach an Active Console diagnostics file to every support ticket, even if the issue looks simple. The file gives Support the context they need from the start, so they can resolve your issue faster.
- Faster diagnosis — Support can start the investigation immediately, without asking you for versions, operating systems, or logs first.
- Accurate environment details — the file captures what is running at the time of the issue: the Active Console version, workspace, and logs, plus each Gateway’s version, package, operating system, usage, and performance. This helps Support identify common causes such as version mismatches, platform-specific behavior, or overloaded Gateways.
- Control of your data — you can open the zip file and review its contents before you send it. Sensitive data, such as usernames, access tokens, and passwords, is removed or obfuscated.
Create a diagnostics file Copied
To create a diagnostics file:
- Go to Help > Create Diagnostics File.
- Choose where you want to save the file and enter a file name.
- Click Save.
If successful, the Created diagnostics window opens.
Note
Help > About shows Active Console version information only. It does not create a diagnostics file. Help > View Diagnostics Page opens Orb Diagnostic Mode in a browser. That is separate from the diagnostics file described on this page. Use Help > Create Diagnostics File instead.
What the zip contains Copied
The diagnostics zip typically includes:
- Active Console about, summary, version, and directory listing text files
- Workspace and autosave copies
- Active Console log files
- Command and event statistics
Starting in Geneos 7.12.0, the zip also includes gatewayInfo.json.
Gateway summary (gatewayInfo.json) Copied
gatewayInfo.json is a JSON object keyed by Gateway name. Active Console builds one entry for every Gateway in the workspace.
| Gateway state | Content |
|---|---|
| Disconnected | Gateway name and connected: false only. |
| Connected | Gateway name, connected: true, and the public summary sections described below. |
Version compatibility Copied
Active Console writes gatewayInfo.json. The Gateway version only affects how complete each connected Gateway’s entry is.
| Active Console version | Gateway version | What appears in gatewayInfo.json |
|---|---|---|
| 7.12.0 or later | 7.12.0 or later | Full public summary, including package details, seven-day Active Console usage, license plugin usage, and performance metrics. |
| 7.12.0 or later | Earlier than 7.12.0 | A smaller fallback set of fields that older Gateways already published, plus package, current Active Console users, and operating system details when Active Console can supply those details from the local session. |
| Earlier than 7.12.0 | Any | The zip does not include gatewayInfo.json. |
Summary sections Copied
For a connected Gateway running Geneos 7.12.0 or later, the summary can include the following sections. Field names appear in camelCase in the JSON file.
| Section | What it contains |
|---|---|
operatingSystem |
Host OS, platform, release, version, and architecture. |
package |
Geneos package version, binary type, and package type. |
usage |
Active Console login history for the last seven UTC days and plugin counts. Usernames are obfuscated. |
licensing |
High-level license capability flags and overall license usage from the Licence Daemon (pluginUsage) where available. |
performance |
Selected Gateway process metrics such as CPU usage, memory, threads, data age, queue size, file descriptors, cell count, and available disk space. These metrics are published by the Gateway automatically. You do not need to configure a Gateway-performance sampler. |
hotStandby |
Hot Standby role and state. |
database |
Database logging status flags such as connection and enablement state. Credentials are not included. |
setup |
Non-sensitive setup indicators such as AES key type and comments requirements. |
schema |
Schema version and compatibility. |
iax |
ITRS Analytics connection status such as enabled state, REST service address, whether an access token is required, and token expiry. The access token itself is not included. On older Gateways that still publish this data under an Obcerv metadata section, Active Console maps that section to the same iax JSON key. |
When Active Console is connected to an older Gateway, some of these sections are incomplete or absent. Active Console still attempts to fill package details, current Active Console users, and operating system fields from information already available in the session.
Sensitive data Copied
You can inspect the zip before you send it to ITRS Support.
- Active Console usernames in
usage.activeConsoleUsersare obfuscated with SHA-256 and Base64 encoding, using the same approach as Licence Daemon report hashing. Plaintext usernames are not written. - The Gateway hostname is not included.
- ITRS Analytics access tokens are not included.
- Database login passwords and similar secrets are not included.
Hot Standby Copied
In a hot standby pair, after failover, the new active Gateway republishes package and operating system summary data for its own process.
Active Console login history (usage) and performance metrics are local to that Gateway process. They are not inherited from the former primary Gateway. After failover, those sections reflect the new active Gateway only.
For more information about hot standby behaviour, see Hot Standby.
Related diagnostics Copied
| Diagnostics | Where it runs | What it collects |
|---|---|---|
| Active Console diagnostics | Your workstation | Active Console workspace and logs, plus the Gateway summary in gatewayInfo.json. |
| Gateway Create Diagnostics command | Gateway host | A full Gateway diagnostic archive (diag-<timestamp>.tar.gz), including setup, caches, and host system information. See Diagnostic commands. |