Let’s check the new SCCM log viewer in SCCM called Onetrace. Also, let’s check out whether it can replace CMTrace. Learn about the user experience of Onetrace? You will see in this post. More details SCCM Onetrace in the below section.
Introduction
Microsoft announced a new log reader tool for SCCM admins with the SCCM 1906 production release. This OneTrace tool is still under development; that is why this tool is released as a preview version with SCCM 1906.
Microsoft claims that the performance of OneTrace is better than CMTrace. There are performance improvement and modern GUI features with new OneTrace log reader tool. Let’s get into more details in the below sections.
Subscribe to this Blog Via eMail
OneTrace is NOT a standalone tool like CMTrace at this point. You need to install Support Center toolset to get access to OneTrace.
How to Install SCCM OneTrace?
As mentioned above, the SCCM OneTrace tool is not a standalone tool like CMTrace. But, it can become an independent tool in the future. I don’t like installing MSI to get access to a log file reader like Onetrace.
You can get the OneTrace source files from the site server “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\tools\SupportCenter/supportcenterinstaller.msi.”
NOTE! – Prerequisite for Support Center OneTrace is .NET Framework version 4.6 or later.
Let’s go through the installation wizard and select all the default options to install Support Center tool kit.
If you want to know about the other tools available in SCCM Support Center tool kit, you can read my previous post “SCCM Troubleshooting Tool -Support Center ConfigMgrSupportCenter.exe.”
Launch SCCM Support Center OneTrace
The above MSI installation will create four shortcuts in the start menu. And the shortcut for OneTrace tool is “Support Center OneTrace (Preview).”. Try to launch it and enjoy!
If you install the above mentioned MSI using the default settings, then the EXE files will be available in the following folder “C:\Program Files (x86)\Configuration Manager Support Center.”
Checkout the EXEes called:
- CMLogViewer.exe (this is the OLD one and don’t get confused. I have explained this tool in the video post here)
- CMPowerLogViewer.exe (SCCM OneTrace tool preview version released with SCCM 1906)
OneTrace Log Reader – Float Option
One of the exciting features that I noticed in SCCM Support Center OneTrace log file reader is the flexibility it gives with the modern UI. You can follow the below steps to get the OneTrace float view:
- Open OneTrace Log Reader
- Click on File – Open in NEW TAB
- Once the LOG file is opened, Right-click on the log file Window and select Float option to make the log file floating around the entire OneTrace UI!!
NOTE1 – It can take you some time to walk through all these options and understand it well. More me, it felt like a modern browser (edge, chrome, etc..) UI with close all, Close all but this, Float tabs options! Yes, there is a bit of learning curve. But for SCCM admins it’s straightforward 🙂
NOTE 2 – When you right-click on an individual log (log1 as you can see below) Dock as Tabbed Document give you the default view of log files.
The perfect example of flexibility with modern UI is FLOAT option. As you can see in the below picture, there are 6 log files (look at the bottom of the screenshot) option. I can easily adjust each window according to my needs. It’s super useful.
+ Open New Log Option
Open new log option in the OneTrace log will give you a chance to open multiple logs within the same tab. This open new log option is useful in many SCCM real-time troubleshooting scenarios.
As you can see in the below picture (right side – Open Files tab), there are six (6) log files opened within one tab.
You can filter the different log files with all the column options available. In the below picture, I filtered based on “Time.” You can also see the component names as mentioned below:
- SCCMGraph
- OwinHost
- Microsoft.ConfigurationManager.AdminService
When you click on a particular log entry, you can have abundant manageability options like:
- Copy log text
- Copy unformatted log entry
- Columns
- Quick Filter Entry
- Annotate Log Entry
- Clear Selected log entry
OneTrace Log File Window Options
Following are some of the useful options available in SCCM Onetrace log file reader (preview) version.
- Open File
- Toggle Hints
- BookMark Entry
- Previous Error
- Next Error
- Find Entry
- Reset Columns
- Pause
How to Deploy OneTrace to Windows Device?
Well, that is a good question. You need to deploy the latest version of supportcenterinstaller.msi through SCCM to all the Windows devices.
- Use the following command line “msiexec /i “supportcenterinstaller.msi” /q” to Install the app called Support Center.
- Use the following command to uninstall the app – msiexec /x {152D3CA3-8C5E-43BF-BFEB-4CF5B8B092F6} /q
- Product code of Support Center version with SCCM 1906 is : {152D3CA3-8C5E-43BF-BFEB-4CF5B8B092F6}
NOTE! – SCCM Support Center OneTrace won’t work without all the dependant files in the installation folder with this preview version. Unlike CMTrace, OneTrace is NOT a standalone EXE tool.
Replace CMTrace with OneTrace?
Can I replace CMTrace with OneTrace? I don’t think. Because:
- OneTrace is in Preview so still under development
- OneTrace is not a Standalone EXE like CMTrace. You can’t just copy the OneTrace.exe to a machine and start using it. Not you need to have all the dependent files to that to work.
- OneTrace is not supported in WinPE scenarios yet (because of WPF dependency).
I will keep using CMTrace until they make OneTrace standalone. As usual, stupid decision on the part of MS