How to Fix an Empty System Log

Configure your instance to display console output in the System Log tab.

Overview

The System Log tab in the cloud control panel displays console output from your instance. It works by default if you installed from our KVM cloud images, but it may be empty if you installed from an ISO or your own image. You can modify your boot parameters to display console output in such cases.

When This Applies

This fix is only needed if you installed your operating system from an ISO or uploaded your own custom image. Instances created from RamNode's standard cloud images already have console logging configured.

Steps to Enable System Log Output

1. Access Your Instance

Connect to your instance via SSH or the VNC console in the control panel.

2. Edit GRUB Configuration

Open the GRUB configuration file for editing:

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

3. Add Console Parameters

Find the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT line and add the following parameters inside the quotation marks:

console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200n8

For example, if your line currently looks like:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet"

It should become:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200n8"

4. Save and Close the File

In nano, press Ctrl+O to save, then Ctrl+X to exit.

5. Update GRUB

Run the appropriate command for your distribution:

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo update-grub

CentOS/Fedora:

sudo grub2-mkconfig -o /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

6. Reboot Your Instance

Reboot the instance to apply the changes:

sudo reboot

Verification

After rebooting, you should now see output on the System Log tab in the cloud control panel when your instance boots up. The log will display console messages, boot information, and system events.