Server Logs

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HowTo
  • Creating and Deleting Log Files
  • Specifying a Time Interval
  • Filtering Log Records
  • Searching
  • All components of the Server store messages in one System Log. Each record contains a time stamp, the log level , the tag identifying the component that created the record, and the record data itself.

    System Logs are plain text files, and can be processed with any text-processing utility.

    When sending a technical support request to Stalker Technical Support, always include a portion of the Log that indicates the problem.

    Creating and Deleting Log Files

    You can use any Web browser to examine the Logs. Click the Logs button in the Monitor section and the list of the stored Logs appears. The current Log is marked with an asterisk sign, while other Logs are marked with checkboxes.

    You should have the "Can Monitor" access right to view the Logs.

    The options on the top of the page allow you to specify when the Logs files are created and deleted:

    Start New Every:
    or if Larger than:
    Delete Old in:

    A new file is created automatically every day (at midnight), or more often, as you specify with the first option. Additionally, a new Log file is created if the current Log file size exceeds the specified limit. Shortly after a new Log file is created, the Server checks all files in the SystemLogs directory, and removes all files that are older than specified in the third option.

    You can select one or several logs in the list and then remove them using the Delete All Selected Logs button. The active (current) Log file cannot be deleted.

    If there are too many Log files on the Server, you can enter a string in the Filter field and click the Display button: only the Logs with names matching the Filter string will be displayed:

           Filter:

    Click the Log file name to open the selected Log.


    Specifying a Time Interval

    When the Log appears in your browser window, all Log records are displayed. Since Logs can have thousands of them, you may want to view only a portion of the Log. Interrupt the Log downloading process and specify the Log Level and the Time Range options:

    Interval: -

    Only the records with time stamps in the specified interval are displayed.

    Note: if you are viewing the current Log and specify "*" in the second field, all records placed in the Log by this moment are displayed.

    Note: if you are viewing the current Log and specify some future time in the second field, the Server will keep the browser channel open, sending new Log records as they are placed in the Log. The channel is closed either when the specified time comes, or when the Server starts a new Log.


    Filtering Log Records

    Since the System Logs can be very big (several megabytes of data) on a heavily loaded server or on a server with low-level logging enabled, it is difficult to examine the entire Log.

    You can set the Level setting to suppress displaying records that are more detailed than the specified value (have a higher level tag), and you can put a filter into the Filter field. Click the Display button to display only the records that contain the specified substring.

    Level:
    Filter:
    Example:
    One of your users complains that sometimes his mailer application cannot retrieve messages from your server properly and it displays an error message about some protocol faults.
    Since it does not occur often, you should run the POP module with its Log Level set to Low-Level, and this will make the System Log very big. Finally, the client contacts you and says that the mailer has displayed the same error.
    You open the Log and set the Level to 3 (Problems). Now you may see all the problems with the POP module that occurred today. You find the record that indicates the problem your client is talking about, and that record has a tag POP-2357. So, you type POP-2357 into the Filter field, and change the Log Level to 5 (All Info). As a result, you see a clean log of that particular POP session.

    Searching in System Logs

    Use your browser Find command to search for a string in the filtered portion of the System Log.

    Use the Print command of your Web browser to print the System Log.


    CommuniGate® Pro Guide. Copyright © 1998, Stalker Software, Inc.