Where are the log files located for installation, activation, Network License Manager, and the Service Host?

Where are the log files located for installation, activation, Network License Manager, and the Service Host?

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

Logs files for the processes described above can be found in a number of different places depending on the process and Operating System. See each section for where each log is located.

• Installation Logs
• Service Host Logs
• Activation Logs
• License Manager Logs

 

Installation logs

Windows

The installation logs are in the following folder with the name "mathworks_%username%.log":

C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Temp

If you are unsure how to open this folder, follow these directions:

1. Hold the "Windows" key and press the "r" key
2. Copy and paste the following into the Run window: %temp%\mathworks_%username%.log
3. Press enter on your keyboard.

Linux

The installation logs are in the following folder with the name "mathworks_$USER.log":

/tmp

macOS

Follow these steps to retrieve the installer log file on a Mac:

1. Launch Terminal from your Applications folder.
2. Copy and paste the following command, and then press enter/return on your keyboard. Do not edit the command, run it exactly how it appears below:

cp $TMPDIR/mathworks_$USER.log ~/Desktop

This will create a copy of the needed log file on the desktop. If the command fails, this means the installer log file is not being created. This could indicate that the installer is not starting at all, and is thus not able to write the log file.

Forcing the creation of the installation log file in a specific location

If the installer is not creating a log file, then you may need to create your own. You can run the installer in command prompt or terminal with a flag to force a log file to be created. You could use a command like the following to do this:

Windows

/full/path/to/setup.exe -outputfile "C:\path\to\logfile.log"

Linux/macOS

./install -outputfile /path/to/logfile.log

 

Service Host logs

You can collect all relevant Service Host log files by following these steps: 

Windows (Command Prompt)

1. Open Windows Start Menu
2. Search for "Command Prompt" and then open the Command Prompt application from your search results
3. Enter the following command into Command Prompt:
   • tar -a -c -f "%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\mathworks_support.zip" "%TEMP%\mathworks_%USERNAME%.log" "%TEMP%\mlctr_%USERNAME%.log" "%LOCALAPPDATA%\MathWorks\ServiceHost\logs" "%LOCALAPPDATA%\MathWorks\ServiceHost\LatestInstall.Info"
4. Navigate into your Downloads folder
5. Locate the "mathworks_support.zip" file in your Downloads folder

 

macOS

1. Open Spotlight Search by clicking the magnifying glass in the top right corner of your screen
2. Type in "Terminal" and then open the application from the search results
3. Enter the following command into Terminal:
   • zip -r ~/Desktop/mathworks_support.zip "/Users/$USER/Library/Application Support/MathWorks/ServiceHost/logs" "/Users/$USER/Library/Application Support/MathWorks/ServiceHost/LatestInstall.info" "$TMPDIR/mathworks_$USER.log" "$TMPDIR/mlctr_$USER.log"
4. Navigate to your Desktop
5. Locate the "mathworks_support.zip" file found on your Desktop

 

Linux

1. Enter the following command into the command line:
   • zip -r ~/mathworks_support.zip "/home/$USER/.MathWorks/ServiceHost/$HOSTNAME/logs" "/home/$USER/.MathWorks/ServiceHost/$HOSTNAME/LatestInstall.info" "/tmp/mathworks_$USER.log" "/tmp/mlctr_$USER.log"
2. Locate the "mathworks_support.zip" file found in your home directory

 

Activation logs

Windows

The activation logs are in the following folder with the name "aws_%username%.log":

C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Temp

If you are unsure how to open this folder, follow these directions:

1. Hold the "Windows" key and press the "r" key
2. Copy and paste the following into the Run window: %temp%\aws_%username%.log
3. Press enter on your keyboard.

Linux

The activation logs are in the following folder with the name aws_$USER.log":

/tmp

macOS

Follow these steps to retrieve the installer log file on a Mac:

1. Log in as the user who ran the installer.
2. Open Spotlight Search by clicking the magnifying glass in the top right of your screen.
3. Type in "Terminal" and then open the first result, which should be the Terminal application.
4. Copy and paste the following command, and then press enter/return on your keyboard. Do not edit the command, run it exactly how it appears below:

cp $TMPDIR/aws_$USER.log ~/Desktop

This will create a copy of the needed log file on the desktop. If the command fails, this means the activation log file is not being created. This could indicate that the activation client is not starting at all, and is thus not able to write the log file.

 

License Manager Logs

For a long-term record of license usage, you can view the license manager log file. The network license manager log file will show license check-ins and check-outs:

• When someone starts using a product, it checks out a key
• When someone stops using a product, it checks the key back in

The following are the default locations for each supported operating system:

Windows

$MATLABROOT\etc\lmlog.txt 

You can also view the log file on Windows in lmtools.exe:

• Go to "Config Services" tab.
• Click on "View Log".

Linux

/var/tmp/lm_TMW.log

macOS

/var/tmp/lm_TMW.log

As stated above, these are the default locations. It is possible the log file is elsewhere if it was specified to be elsewhere. If you have LMTOOLS available, you can find the log file's path in the Config Services tab.

[Walter Roberson]

@Ashrit Swain

I am not clear as to whether you were doing

!ls ~/Library/'Application Support'/MathWorks/ServiceHost/logs

or

!ls $TMPDIR/aws_$USER.log

?

[Walter Roberson]

Which command did you copy and paste?

Answer 2

[Shoumei]

It's easy to open temp directory with folliwing command.

winopen(tempdir)