Chapter 15
Configuring Logging

This chapter briefly describes how to use the Admin Console to configure logging and view the server log. It contains the following sections:

About Logging
Admin Console Tasks for Logging

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About Logging

Log Records
The Logger Namespace Hierarchy

Log Records

The Application Server uses the Java 2 platform Logging API specified in JSR 047. Application Server logging messages are recorded in the server log, normally found at domain_root_dir/domain_dir/logs/server.log.

The domain_root_dir/domain_dir/logs/ directory contains two other kinds of logs in addition to the server log. In the access subdirectory are the HTTP Service access logs, and in the tx subdirectory are the Transaction Service logs. For information about these logs, see "Configuring the HTTP Service Access Log" and "Configuring Transactions".

The components of the Application Server generate logging output. Application components can also generate logging output.

Application components may use the Apache Commons Logging Library to log messages. The platform standard JSR 047 API, however, is recommended for better log configuration.

Log records follow a uniform format:

[#|yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss.SSS-Z|Log Level|ProductName_Version|LoggerName|Key Value Pairs|Message|#]

For example:

[#|2004-10-21T13:25:53.852-0400|INFO|sun-appserver-pe8.1|javax.enterprise. system.core|_ThreadID=13;|CORE5004: Resource Deployed: [cr:jms/DurableConnectionFactory].|#]

In this example,

[# and #] mark the beginning and end of the record.
The vertical bar (|) separates the record fields.
2004-10-21T13:25:53.852-0400 specifies the date and time.
The Log Level is INFO. This level may have any of the following values: SEVERE, WARNING, INFO, CONFIG, FINE, FINER, and FINEST.
The ProductName_Version is sun-appserver-pe8.1.
The LoggerName is a hierarchical logger namespace that identifies the source of the log module, in this case javax.enterprise.system.core.
The Key Value Pairs are key names and values, typically a thread ID such as _ThreadID=14;.
The Message is the text of the log message. For all Application Server SEVERE and WARNING messages and many INFO messages, it begins with a message ID that consists of a module code and a numerical value (in this case, CORE5004).

The log record format might be changed or enhanced in future releases.

The Logger Namespace Hierarchy

The Application Server provides a logger for each of its modules. The following table lists the names of the modules and the namespace for each logger in alphabetical order, as they appear on the Log Levels page of the Admin Console (see "Configuring Log Levels"). The last three modules in the table do not appear on the Log Levels page.

Table 15-1  Application Server Logger Namespaces 

Module Name	Namespace
Admin	javax.enterprise.system.tools.admin
Classloader	javax.enterprise.system.core.classloading
CMP	javax.enterprise.system.container.cmp
Configuration	javax.enterprise.system.core.config
Connector	javax.enterprise.resource.resourceadapter
CORBA	javax.enterprise.resource.corba
Deployment	javax.enterprise.system.tools.deployment
EJB Container	javax.enterprise.system.container.ejb
JavaMail	javax.enterprise.resource.javamail
JAXR	javax.enterprise.resource.webservices.registry
JAX-RPC	javax.enterprise.resource.webservices.rpc
JDO	javax.enterprise.resource.jdo
JMS	javax.enterprise.resource.jms
JTA	javax.enterprise.resource.jta
JTS	javax.enterprise.system.core.transaction
MDB Container	javax.enterprise.system.container.ejb.mdb
Naming	javax.enterprise.system.core.naming
Node Agent (Enterprise Edition only)	javax.ee.enterprise.system.nodeagent
Root	javax.enterprise
SAAJ	javax.enterprise.resource.webservices.saaj
Security	javax.enterprise.system.core.security
Server	javax.enterprise.system
Synchronization (Enterprise Edition only)	javax.ee.enterprise.system.tools.synchronization
Util	javax.enterprise.system.util
Verifier	javax.enterprise.system.tools.verifier
Web Container	javax.enterprise.system.container.web
Core	javax.enterprise.system.core
System Output (System.out.println)	javax.enterprise.system.stream.out
System Error (System.err.println)	javax.enterprise.system.stream.err

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Admin Console Tasks for Logging

Configuring General Logging Settings
Configuring Log Levels
Viewing the Server Log

Configuring General Logging Settings

In the tree component, select the Application Server node.
Click the Logging tab.
On the Logging Settings page, use the following fields to customize logging:
Log File: To specify an alternative name or location for the server log file, type the new path name in the text field. By default, the location is domain_root_dir/domain_dir/logs/server.log.
Alarms: To route SEVERE and WARNING messages through the JMX framework, select the Enabled checkbox.
Write to System Log: On Solaris and Linux systems only, to send logging output to the syslog facility in addition to the server log, select the Enabled checkbox.
Log Handler: To send logs to a destination other than server.log or syslog, you can plug in a custom log handler. The custom handler must extend the class java.util.logging.Handler (a JSR 047 compliant API). Type the absolute class name of the handler in the Log Handler field. Also put the handler class in the Application Server classpath so that the handler is installed during server startup. The log records from the custom handler will have the format described in "Log Records".
Log Filter: To filter log records that are sent to destinations such as server.log, syslog, or a destination specified by a custom log handler, you can plug in a custom log filter. The custom filter must implement the interface java.util.logging.Filter. Type the absolute class name of the filter in the Log Filter field. Also put the filter class in the Application Server classpath so that the filter is installed during server startup.
File Rotation Limit: When the server log reaches the specified size in bytes, create a new, empty file named server.log and rename the old file server.log_date, where date is the date and time when the file was rotated. The default value is 2 megabytes. The minimum value for the limit is 500 kilobytes; if you specify a lower value, the file rotates when it reaches 500 Kbytes. To turn off log file rotation, set the value to 0.
File Rotation Time Limit: Rotate the server log after the specified number of minutes is reached. The default value is zero, which means that the file is rotated when it reaches the size specified in the File Rotation Limit field. If you specify one or more minutes, the time limit takes precedence over the size limit.
Click Save to save changes. Click View Log Files to view the server log.
Stop and restart the Application Server.

Configuring Log Levels

In the tree component, select the Application Server node.
Click the Logging tab.
On the Logging Settings page, click the Log Levels tab.
On the Module Log Levels page, choose a new value from the drop-down list opposite the module or modules whose log level is to be changed. The default level is INFO, meaning that messages at that level or higher (WARNING, SEVERE) appear in the log. Choose any of the following values (listed from highest to lowest):
SEVERE
WARNING
INFO
CONFIG
FINE
FINER
FINEST
OFF
Use the Additional Properties area to configure log levels for any application loggers. The property name is the logger namespace, and the value is one of the eight possible levels. For example, the property name could be samples.logging.simple.servlet, and the value could be FINE.

Also use this area to change the log level for a submodule, such as the transport submodule of the CORBA module:

javax.enterprise.resource.corba.ORBId.transport
Click Save to save the changes, or click Load Defaults to restore the default values.

Calls to System.out.println are logged at the INFO level using the logger name javax.enterprise.system.stream.out. Calls to System.err.println are logged at the WARNING level using the logger name javax.enterprise.system.stream.err. To turn off the logs from these sources, specify the logger name with the value OFF in the Additional Properties area.

Changes to the Log Level settings take effect immediately. They are also saved in the domain.xml file for use when the server restarts.

Viewing the Server Log

In the tree component, select the Application Server node.
Click the Logging tab.
On the Logging Settings page, click View Log Files.

Use the Search Criteria area to customize and filter the log viewer. Use the basic fields as follows:

Instance Name: Choose an instance name from the drop-down list to view the log for that server instance. The default is the current server instance.
Log File: Choose a log file name from the drop-down list to view the contents of that log. The default is server.log.
Timestamp: To view the most recent messages, select Most Recent (the default). To view messages only from a certain period of time, select Specific Range and type a date and time value in the From and To fields that appear. For the Time value, the syntax must take the following form (SSS stands for milliseconds):
hh:mm:ss.SSS

For example:

17:10:00.000

If the From value is later than the To value, an error message appears.

Log Level: To filter messages by log level, choose a log level from the drop-down list. By default, the display includes all messages that appear in the server log at the chosen log level and more severe levels. Select the checkbox labeled “Do not include more severe messages” to display messages at only the chosen level.

To ensure that the messages you want to view appear in the server log, first set the appropriate log levels on the Log Levels page. See "Configuring Log Levels".

If you choose to filter log messages based on log level, only messages matching the specified filter criteria are shown. However, this filtering does not affect which messages are logged to the server log.

The most recent 40 entries in the server log appear, with the settings specified on the Logging Settings and Log Levels pages.

Click the triangle next to the Timestamp header to sort the messages so that the most recent one appears last.

To view a formatted version of any message, click the link marked

(details)

A window labeled Log Entry Detail appears, with a formatted version of the message.

At the end of the list of entries, click the buttons to view earlier or later entries in the log file.

Click Advanced Search in the Search Criteria area to make additional refinements to the log viewer. Use the Advanced Options fields as follows:

Logger: To filter by module, choose one or more namespaces from the drop-down list. Use shift-click or control-click to choose multiple namespaces.

Selecting a namespace at a higher level selects all the namespaces below it. For example, selecting javax.enterprise.system also selects the loggers for all the modules under that namespace: javax.enterprise.system.core, javax.enterprise.system.tools.admin, and so on.

Custom Logger: To view messages from loggers specific to a particular application, type the logger names in the text field, one per line. If the application has several modules, you can view any or all of them. For example, suppose the application has loggers with the following names:
com.mycompany.myapp.module1
com.mycompany.myapp.module2
com.mycompany.myapp.module3

To view messages from all modules in the application, type com.mycompany.myapp. To view messages from module2 only, type com.mycompany.myapp.module2.

When you specify one or more custom loggers, messages from Application Server modules appear only if you specify them explicitly in the Logger area.

Name-Value Pairs: To view output from a specific thread, type the key name and value for that thread in the text field. The key name is _ThreadID. For example:
_ThreadID=13

Suppose that com.mycompany.myapp.module2 runs in several threads. To refine the log viewer to show only the output from a single thread, specify that module’s logger in the Custom Logger field, and then specify the thread ID in this field.

Display: To view more than 40 messages at a time (the default), choose another of the available values from the drop-down list (100, 250, or 1000).

To view stack traces, deselect the “Limit excessively long messages” checkbox. By default, stack traces do not appear in the viewer; to view them, click the (details) link for a message.

Click Basic Search to hide the Advanced Options area.

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Copyright 2004-2005 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.