The Linux Diagnostic Tool (nordlayer-diagtool) is a built-in utility designed to collect system information and logs to help troubleshoot connectivity and configuration issues. When executed, it gathers details about your system's environment, the NordLayer application status, and service logs into a securely encrypted report that can be shared with our support team.
The tool simplifies the troubleshooting process by automatically verifying if NordLayer is installed, running, and configured correctly. It collects system data (such as OS version, kernel, memory, CPU, and desktop environment details) alongside exported NordLayer service logs.
For your privacy, all collected data is encrypted before saving, and you are given the opportunity to review the information before generating the final file.
How to run the diagnostic tool
- Open your Linux terminal.
- Execute the following command to start the utility: nordlayer-diagtool run
- A welcome screen will appear, displaying information about the tool and available keyboard shortcuts.
- Press Enter to begin. The tool will sequentially collect OS details, verify your NordLayer status, and export logs.
- Once the collection is complete, you will reach a review screen.
- Press S to save the report immediately, or R to review the collected data before saving.
Keyboard controls
While navigating the diagnostic tool in your terminal, you can use the following controls:
Enter: Continue to the next screen or start diagnostics.
S: Save the report immediately (skips review).
R: Review data before saving.
Up/Down arrows or Page Up/Page Down: Scroll through the report details.
Q or Ctrl+C: Quit the application.
Understanding the report
After running the diagnostics and choosing to save, an encrypted report is generated and saved in your /tmp/ directory. The filename will look similar to nordlayer-diagnosis-2024-XX-XX.json.
This report contains essential troubleshooting data, including:
- System information: Details regarding your OS, kernel, RAM, and CPU.
- NordLayer service status: Verification of whether the service is currently running and enabled.
- NordLayer settings: Your current app configurations, including your preferred VPN protocol, auto-connect rules, Web protection status, always-on mode, Kill Switch status, and local network access settings.
- Logs: Exported NordLayer service logs from journalctl.
- Timestamp: The exact date and time the diagnostics were run.
All diagnostic reports are encrypted locally on your device before being saved. No data is automatically transmitted over the network; the information is only shared when you explicitly send the file to NordLayer support. Any temporary files created by the tool in the /tmp/ directory are automatically cleaned up after the process is complete.
- When to run: For the most helpful data, we highly recommend running the diagnostic tool immediately after you experience a connectivity issue or make a configuration change.
- Reviewing data: You can always review the report directly in the terminal before saving it to ensure you are comfortable with the collected information and that no sensitive, unrelated data is included.
- Getting help: Keep the generated report file handy when contacting NordLayer support so you can attach it to your ticket. If you need help with the utility itself, you can run nordlayer-diagtool --help in your terminal to see a list of available commands.
Note: In case you have any questions or are experiencing any issues, please feel free to contact our 24/7 customer support team.