Web Agent Guides › Web Agent Configuration Guide › Configure Logs › How to Set Up Trace Logging › Configure Trace Logging

Configure Trace Logging

Before you can use trace logging, you must configure it by specifying a name, location, and parameters for the trace log file. These settings control the size and format of the file itself. After trace logging is configured, you determine the content of the trace log file separately. This lets you change the types of information contained in your trace log at any time, without changing the parameters of the trace log file itself.

To configure trace logging

1. Locate the WebAgentTrace.conf file on your web server. Create a duplicate of the file.
2. Open your Agent Configuration Object or local configuration file.
3. Set the TraceFile parameter to yes.

   Note: Setting the value of this parameter to yes in a local configuration file of a web server overrides any of the logging settings defined on the Policy Server. For example, when the value of this parameter is set to yes in a LocalConfig.conf file, then log files are generated even if the value of the AllowLocalConfig parameter in the corresponding Agent Configuration object on the Policy Server is set to no. Set the related logging parameters (that define the file name, size, and others) in the LocalConfig.conf file too to override any Policy Server log settings.

4. Specify the full path to the trace log file in the TraceFileName parameter. This is the file that contains the log output.
5. Specify the full path to the duplicate copy WebAgentTrace.conf file (you created in Step 1) in the TraceConfigFile parameter The trace configuration file that determines which components, subcomponents and data fields to record in the trace log file.

   Note: This file is not used until the web server is restarted.

6. Define the format the trace log file by setting the following parameters in your Agent Configuration Object or local configuration file:
   • TraceAppend

     Adds new logging information to the end of an existing log file instead of rewriting the entire file each time logging is invoked.

     Default: No

   • TraceFormat

     Specifies how the trace.conf file displays the messages. Choose one of the following options:

     • default—uses square brackets [] to enclose the fields.
     • fixed—uses fields with a fixed width.
     • delim—uses a character of your choice to delimit the fields.
     • xml—uses XML-like tags. A DTD or style sheet is not provided with the Web Agent.

     Default: default (square brackets)

   • TraceDelimiter

     Specifies the custom character that separates the fields in the trace.conf file.

     Default: No default

     Example: |

   • TraceFileSize

     Specifies (in megabytes) the maximum size of a trace file. The Web Agent creates a new file when this limit is reached.

     Note: This feature is not supported for Apache 1.x and Sun Java System on UNIX systems. Use the default or leave this setting blank.

     Default: 0 (a new log file is not created)

     Example: 20 (MB)

   • LogLocalTime

     Specifies whether the logs use Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or local time. To use GMT, change this setting to no. If this parameter does not exist, the default setting is used.

     Default: Yes

7. If you modified the TraceConfigFile parameter, restart the web server so the Web Agent uses the new trace configuration file.
8. Edit the WebAgentTrace.conf file to have Web Agent monitor the activities you want.

   Framework Web Agents do not support dynamic configuration of log parameters set locally in the Agent configuration file. Consequently, when you modify a parameter, the change does not take effect until you restart the web server. However, these log settings can be stored and updated dynamically if you configure them in an Agent configuration object on the Policy Server.

   Note: IIS 6.0 Web Agents create log files only after the first user request is submitted. Apache 2.0 Web Agents create log files when the Apache server starts.