Log Settings

Log Settings

WebBoard’s logs collect and provide a wealth of useful information about individual activities, user statistics, errors, and installation data. You can use this information to analyze traffic, performance, problems, and configuration changes. The logs are an important source of information for managing and troubleshooting WebBoard. WebBoard’s logs are stored in the /WebBoard/Logs folder.

You may also want to archive your logs by moving them to another folder, say at the end of each month. You can do so by using WebBoard’s cycling feature or simply moving (or deleting) a log file. If you do so, even while WebBoard is running and users are logged on, WebBoard detects it and starts a new file.

The Log File Types

WebBoard logs seven types of information: HTTP requests to the boards (Board_ Alias.log), chat dialog (Chat#.log), WebBoard errors (Error.log), what happens during installation (Install.log), email-related transactions (smtp.log), upload activity (Uploads.log), and all activity on the WebBoard site (Webboard.log). All the logs provide diagnostic information or record an action, with the exception of the Chat#.log, which simply records activity in a specific chat room. The logs are in ASCII text files that can be read with any text editor. This section describes the logs in more detail.

Turning HTTP logging on or off

The default for HTTP logging is Yes, or on. You can turn off HTTP request logging for all boards. Each board you create has its own log named with the board’s alias, which records each HTTP request for the board, unless you turn off HTTP logging. These logs are in Combined—sometimes called Extended—(NCSA/CERN) format, which means you can use web statistics programs to analyze the data in great detail. This does not affect the site-wide logs.

To turn HTTP request logging on, in the HTTP Logging Active area, click Yes and then click Change. Click No and then click Change to disable HTTP logging for all boards on the WebBoard site. Note that this single switch determines whether WebBoard is writing HTTP logs for all boards on your server or none of them.

Note
This single switch determines whether WebBoard is writing HTTP logs for all boards on your server or none of them.

Downloading the board log

To download the HTTP log for the board you’re currently on, click Download. WebBoard compresses (in standard ZIP format) the HTTP log and downloads it to you. Standard file transfer operations for your browser apply. You’ll also note that WebBoard is considerate enough to tell you the size of the log when you open this page.

Cycling the log

To cycle the log file of the board you’re currently on, click Cycle. WebBoard confirms the action and saves the cycled log in the same location as the active logs. The cycled log retains the name of the board, but is assigned a three-digit sequential numeric extension, starting at .001. Each time you cycle the log, the extension is incremented by one (.002, .003, and so on). This function is available to the board manager as well as the WebBoard administrator.

Activating SMTP tracing

To enable SMTP tracing, in the SMTP Tracing Active area, click Yes and then click Change. WebBoard starts logging all communication between WebBoard and the external SMTP mail server (for outbound mail). The information is stored in the SMTP.log in the /WebBoard/Logs folder. To turn off SMTP tracing, click No and then click Change.

When you enable SMTP tracing, WebBoard logs all mail-related transactions, inbound and outbound. This information is very detailed, recording numerous entries for each transaction. SMTP tracing is valuable for troubleshooting, but left on unattended, tracing causes the SMTP log file to grow rapidly. Except for when you’re trying to track down a mail error, we suggest you leave it turned off (the default).