Archiving Log Files

You can set up your access and error log files to be automatically archived. At a certain time, or after a specified interval, your logs are rotated. The Sun Java System Web Server saves the old log files and stamps the saved file with a name that includes the date and time they were saved.

For example, you can set up your access log files to rotate every hour, and Sun Java System Web Server saves and names the file “access.200307152400,” where name of the log file, year, month, day, and 24-hour time is concatenated together into a single character string. The exact format of the log archive file varies depending upon which type of log rotation you set up.

The Sun Java System Web Server offers the two types of log rotation for archiving files: Internal-daemon log rotation and Cron-based log rotation.

Internal-daemon Log Rotation

This type of log rotation happens within the HTTP daemon, and can only be configured at system startup. Internal daemon log rotation process allows the server to rotate logs internally without requiring the server to restart. Logs rotated using this method are saved in the following format:

access.<YYYY><MM><DD><HHMM>
error. <YYYY><MM><DD><HHMM>

Specify the time used as a basis to rotate log files and start a new log file. For example, if the rotation start time is 12:00 a.m., and the rotation interval is 1440 minutes (one day), a new log file is created immediately when you save and apply changes irrespective of the present time. The log file will rotate every day at 12:00 a.m., and the access log will be stamped at 12:00 a.m. and saved as access.200307152400. Similarly, if you set the interval at 240 minutes (4 hours), the 4 hour intervals begin at 12:00 a.m., and the access log files contain information collected from 12:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m., from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.

If log rotation is enabled, log file rotation starts at server startup. The first log file to be rotated gathers information from the current time until the next rotation time. Using the previous example, if you set your start time at 12:00 a.m. and your rotation interval at 240 minutes, and the current time is 6:00 a.m., the first log file to be rotated will contain the information collected from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m, and the next log file will contain information from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (noon).

Scheduler-based Log Rotation

This type of log rotation is based on the time stored in the scheduler.conf file in the server_root/https-admserv/config/ directory. This method allows you to archive log files immediately or have the server archive log files at a specific time on specific days. The server’s scheduler configuration options are stored in the schedulerd.conf file in the server_root/https-admserv/config/ directory. Logs rotated using the scheduler-based method are saved in the following format:

<original_filename>.<YYYY><MM><DD><HHMM>

For example, access might become access.200307151630 when it is rotated at 4:30 p.m.

Log rotation is initialized at server startup. If rotation is turned on, the Sun Java System Web Server creates a time-stamped access log file and rotation starts at server startup.

Once the rotation begins, the Sun Java System Web Server creates a new time stamped log file when there is a request or error that needs to be logged to the access or error log file and it occurs after the prior-scheduled “next rotate time”.

Archive the server logs before running the log analyzer.

To archive log files and to specify whether to use the Internal daemon method or the scheduler-based method, use the Archive Log Files Page in the Server Manager.