Log Collection

SRM Plugin Down? How to Generate Diagnostic Logs via the Command Line | Lazy Admin Blog

Posted on October 29, 2015 Updated on March 23, 2026

In a high-pressure recovery situation, the last thing you want to see is the “SRM Connection Failed” error in your vSphere Client. If you can’t access the SRM interface to click “Gather Logs,” you have to go straight to the source.

Site Recovery Manager includes a standalone support script that packages all necessary diagnostics directly from the Windows Server filesystem, even if the SRM service itself is struggling.

Step 1: Locate the Support Script

Log into the Windows Server where SRM is installed and navigate to the \bin\ directory. The path varies slightly depending on your version and OS architecture:

64-bit Windows (Standard): C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager\bin\
32-bit Windows (Legacy): C:\Program Files (32 bit)\VMware\VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager\bin\
SRM 1.0 (Vintage): C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Site Recovery Manager\bin\

Step 2: Generate the Bundle

Look for the file named srm-support.wsf.
Double-click the file to execute it.
Wait a few moments. A compressed log bundle will appear on the Desktop of the current user, named in this format: srm-plugin-support-MM-DD-YYYY-hh-mm.zip.

Step 3: Label Your Logs (The “Pro” Tip)

VMware Support will often need logs from both the Protected and Recovery sites. Because the log bundles look identical, VMware highly recommends renaming the files before uploading them to the FTP portal:

protected-srm-support-MM-DD-YYYY.zip
recovery-srm-support-MM-DD-YYYY.zip

Don’t Forget the SRA Logs!

If your issue involves storage replication, VMware will also need the Storage Replication Adapter (SRA) logs. These are usually tucked away in vendor-specific folders:

...\VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager\scripts\SAN\<SRA Vendor Name>\log\
C:\Program Files\<SRA Vendor Name>\

Manual Configuration Check

If you need to verify your extension ID or database connection strings manually, you can find the core XML configuration files in the \config\ directory: