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How to report and review bugs

Bugs are inevitable in complex systems. A well-written bug report makes it faster for developers and support engineers to reproduce, diagnose, and fix your issue.

This page shows you how to prepare bug information, gather logs, and submit a Launchpad report that others can review and act on.

Step 1 – Prepare your information

Before you open Launchpad, collect the essentials:

  • Bug summary – One line, specific.
    Example: MAAS PXE boot fails on IBM LPAR as KVM host

  • Version and build –

    • Snap: snap list maas
    • Debian package: apt list maas
  • Interface – Did the issue occur in the UI, CLI, or API?

  • What happened – Brief description of the unexpected behavior.

  • Steps to reproduce – Clear, step-by-step sequence.

  • Screenshots – Only if they clarify.

  • Logs – See below.

Keep these details in a text editor so you can paste them quickly into the bug form.

Step 2 – Gather logs

MAAS 3.5 and later (journald)

Logs are stored in systemd’s journal. Export them like this:

journalctl --since "1 hour ago" -o json | xz > maas-log.json.xz

Tips:

  • Adjust --since and --until to cover the event.
  • Use man systemd.time for valid date/time formats.
  • Always capture some time before the issue starts.

MAAS 3.4 and earlier (log files)

Logs are stored on disk. Collect:

  • maas.log
  • regiond.log
  • rackd.log

Default locations:

  • Snap: /var/snap/maas/common/log/
  • Debian package: /var/log/maas/

Using sosreport

sos can gather MAAS logs and system data in one package. Requires sosreport 4.8.0 or newer.

sudo sos report -o maas --all-logs

:warning: Check for sensitive data before attaching to a public bug.

Step 3 – Submit the bug

  1. Open the Launchpad MAAS bug page.

  2. Fill out:

    • Summary – Paste your concise title.
    • Details – Add your prepared info.
    • Attachments – Upload screenshots and logs, with short descriptions.
  3. Click Submit Bug Report.

Example: see sample bug report.

Step 4 – Review and respond

Once submitted:

  • Check if developers ask for clarification or more logs.
  • Update your report instead of creating duplicates.
  • Mark duplicates if you find similar reports.

Safety nets

  • Missing logs? Reproduce the issue and rerun the log collection step.
  • Confidential data? Strip or redact before posting.
  • Can’t access Launchpad? Contact Canonical support if you have a subscription.

Next steps

Last updated 6 days ago. Help improve this document in the forum.