Agent Guides › Web Agent 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. Duplicate the file.

   Note: If you are running the SiteMinder Agent for IIS and protecting 32-bit applications on a 64-bit system (WoW64 mode), create two duplicates. There are separate directories for 32 and 64-bit applications on 64-bit Windows operating environments.

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 files in following parameters:

   TraceFileName

   Specifies the full path to the trace log file.

   Default: No default

   Limits: Specify the file name in this parameter.
   Example: web_agent_home\log\trace.log

   TraceFileName32

   Specifies the full path to the trace file for the SiteMinder Agent for IIS is running on a 64-bit Windows operating environment and protecting 32-bit applications. This is the file that contains the trace log output. Set this parameter if you have a SiteMinder Agent for IIS installed on a 64-bit Windows operating environment and protecting a 32-bit Windows application. The 32-bit applications run in Wow64 mode on the 64-bit Windows operating environment. If trace logging is enabled but this parameter is not set, the Web Agent for IIS appends _32 to the file name.

   Default: No default.

   Limits: For Windows 64-bit operating environments only. Specify the trace file name at the end of the path.

   Example: (Windows 64-bit operating environments using Wow64 mode) web_agent_home\log\WebAgentTrace32.log.

5. Specify the full path to the duplicate copies of WebAgentTrace.conf file (you created in Step 1) in the following parameters:

   TraceConfigFile

   Specifies the location of the WebAgentTrace.conf configuration file that determines which components and events to monitor.

   Default: No default

   Example: web_agent_home\config\WebAgentTrace.conf

   TraceConfigFile32

   Specifies the location of the WebAgentTrace.conf configuration file that determines which components and events to monitor. Set this parameter if you have a SiteMinder Agent for IIS installed on a 64-bit Windows operating environment and protecting a 32-bit Windows application. The 32-bit applications run in Wow64 mode on the 64-bit Windows operating environment. If logging is enabled but this parameter is not set, the Web Agent for IIS appends _32 to the file name.

   Default: No default.

   Limits: For Windows 64-bit operating environments only. Specify the configuration file name at the end of the path.

   Example: (Windows 64-bit operating environments using Wow64 mode) web_agent_home\config\WebAgentTrace32.conf.

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

6. Define the format of the information in your 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 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 a custom character that separates the fields in the trace 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.

   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. 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 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.

8. Restart the web server so the Web Agent uses the new trace configuration file.