How to enable debug mode in Plesk Onyx and earlier versions for Linux?

Symptoms

How to enable debug mode in Plesk Onyx and earlier versions for Linux?

Resolution

It's possible to enable/disable debug logging in Plesk GUI and directly on the server.

In Plesk GUI:

1. Install the "Panel.ini Editor" extension in Plesk: Plesk > Extensions > view all (under Server Tools group) > Panel.ini Editor > Install

   

2. Go to Plesk > Extensions > My Extensions > Panel.ini Editor > Go To Extension > Editor

   

   Note: If the file is empty, then you may copy and paste the content provided in the paragraph "Directly on the server" in #3.

Directly on the server:

1. Connect to the server using SSH .

2. Copy sample configuration file /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/panel.ini.sample to /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/panel.ini:

   # cp /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/panel.ini.sample /usr/local/psa/admin/conf/panel.ini

3. Certain sources of debug entries can be managed by the following directives:

   CONFIG_TEXT: [debug]
   ; Enable debug mode (do not use in production environment)
   enabled = on
   
   [log]
   ; Log messages verbosity level (from 0 to 7)
   ; 0 - only critical errors, 7 - all including debug messages, default - 3
   filter.priority = 7
   
   ; Enable logging of SQL queries
   show.sql_query = on
   
   ; Enable logging of external utilities calls
   show.util_exec = on
   
   ; Enable logging of stdin and stdout for external utilities calls (do not use in production environment)
   ;show.util_exec_io = on
   
   ; Enable logging of APSC activities
   ;apsc.enabled = on

4. To enable debug logging, uncomment (remove a semicolon ";" in the beginning of the string) in panel.ini.
   To disable debug mode, comment out the above lines in panel.ini.

5. Log with enabled debug mode can be found in the file /usr/local/psa/admin/logs/panel.log.

   • Example of output when debug mode is enabled:

     # /usr/local/psa/bin/ip_ban --update -ban_period 600 -ban_time_window 600 -max_retries 10
     DEBUG [dbquery] [0] SQL: SET sql_mode = ''
     DEBUG [dbquery] [0] END: 0.00023102760314941 sec
     DEBUG [dbquery] [1] SQL: SET NAMES utf8
     DEBUG [dbquery] [1] END: 0.00013208389282227 sec
     DEBUG [dbquery] [2] SQL: connect
     DEBUG [dbquery] [2] END: 0.00038313865661621 sec
     DEBUG [dbquery] [3] SQL: SET sql_mode = ''
     DEBUG [dbquery] [3] END: 0.00014400482177734 sec
     ...
     SUCCESS: The settings were updated.

   • Example of output when debug mode is disabled:

     # /usr/local/psa/bin/ip_ban --update -ban_period 600 -ban_time_window 600 -max_retries 10
     SUCCESS: The settings were updated.

   Note: Changes take effect immediately (e.g. there is no need for service psa restart or other such commands), because small binaries like ip_ban read those settings each time they are started.

Additional Information

• How to enable/disable debug logging in Plesk 11.5 and higher for Windows