Log Service Installation Instructions

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Log Service Installation Instructions

Abstract

The purpose of the Log Service is to centrally handle log messages in one place for the entire Web site. This document describes how to install the Log Service and includes information on how to troubleshoot the Log Service.

Product version: 4.50 Document version: 1.0

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2 | Log Service Installation Instructions

Introduction

From EPiServer 4.50, the Log Service is a part of the base installation. The purpose of the Log Service is to centrally handle log messages in one place for the entire Web site.

There are three logical parts in the Log Service

• Web server or an application that generates the log messages • Log Service to collect the log messages

• Analyzers to handle and present the log messages.

Installation Prerequisites

System Requirements

For the full installation with the base example analyzers, the Log Service has the same requirements as EPiServer. Refer to the white paper "EPiServer Installation Instructions" for further information. The Log Service in the base form does not require a database, Web service or an EPiServer installation.

EPiServer Modules

Log Service also requires:

• EPiServer 4.50. This is needed to present the analyzer values. • EPiServer Manager. This is used for a quick and easy installation.

Installing Log Service

Log Service can be installed in one of two ways, either with EPiServer Manager or manually. Instructions for how to install in both ways are described in this chapter.

Installation with EPiServer Manager

Follow the instructions below to install the Log Service with EPiServer Manager.

1. Select the Capabilities node under the Web site for which you want to generate log messages.

2. In the Logging/Statistics group box, click Enable.

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Note The historical data saved in the database is based upon the web.config value EPsSiteName. If this value is changed, historic information cannot be presented on the Web site. (Refer to the

technical note "web.config Settings" for further information about the settings in web.config.) CONFIGURE THE LOG SERVICE TO USE A DATABASE

To configure the Log Service with a database, the connection string in the configuration file

(%programFiles%/EPiServer.LogService/EPiServer.LogService.config) must be changed. Change the value for the parameter connectionString to a connection string to an EPiServer 4.50 database.

<episerver.baseLibrary> <objectStores>

Manual Installation

If an older installation of the Log Service exists, uninstall this service according to the "Removing Log Service" chapter.

Follow the instructions below to install the Log Service manually.

1. Run the program installUtil.exe located in the .NET framework current version directory,

e.g. "c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\InstallUtil.exe" with the Log Service binary as argument.

c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\InstallUtil.exe c:\inetpub\wwwro ot\bin\EPiServer.LogService.exe

2. Rename the default configuration file named

EPiServer.LogService.exe.config.default (located in the installation directory under %programFiles%) to EPiServer.LogService.exe.config.

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4. Start the service at the command prompt with the command net start EPiServer.LogService.

5. Enable statisics logging for the Web site by renaming/copying

EPiServerLog.config.Default to EPiServerLog.config from an EPiServer 4.50 sample site Web root.

Advanced

Logging in EPiServer is based on the log4net product and must have the following properties: • One appender with the following values

- type="EPiServer.Diagnostics.EPiServerUdpAppender, EPiServer" - remoteAddress=<IP address to the log service>

- remotePort=<port defined for the log service, must be the same value as the udpClientPort property in the log service configuration file>

- encoding=Unicode (automatically added by the EPiServerUDPAppender) - a layout that generates log messages on the form %d\t<siteid>\t%m

• One logger on DEBUG level for the class EPiServer.DataAccess.PageSaveDB – to generate messages when a page is published.

• One logger on INFO level for the class EPiServer.Util.PixelImg – to generate messages for the statistics.

Install Log Generator on an Existing Web Site

A component that generates a log message with a transparent .gif file for a Web page is available. The component generates a JavaSript, which in turn generates the path to the gif file that generates the log message to the Log Service.

<EPiServer:LogGenerator runat="server" ID="PixelImg" />

In the sample project this component is implemented in the default framework, located in the file Templates\FrameWork\DefaultFrameWork.ascx

Removing Log Service

Follow the instructions below to remove the Log Service.

1. Stop the service at the command prompt with the command net stop EPiServer.LogService.

2. Run the program installUtil.exe located in the .NET framework current version directory (e.g. c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\InstallUtil.exe ) with the arguments /u for uninstall and the binary for the Log Service

%EPiServer installation%\bin\EPiServer.LogService.exe

E.g.:

c:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\InstallUtil.exe /u c:\inetpub\ww wroot\bin\EPiServer.LogService.exe

3. Remove the directory %ProgramFiles%\EPiServer.LogService.

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4. Remove the configuration file for logging on the Web server EPiServerLog.Config, which exists in the Web server root directory.

Advanced:

• To remove all logging sent to the Log Service, remove the appender that sends UDP messages (default is EPiServerUDPAppender).

• To remove the logging for published pages, remove the logger for the class EPiServer.DataAccess.PageSaveDB.

• To remove the logging for statistics, remove the logger for the class EPiServer.Util.PixelImg.

Log Service Troubleshooting

The first page of the sample site reads “The log service could not be connected.” or

The Statistics tab in Edit mode reads “Cannot connect to the log service.”

Cause: The Log Service cannot be connected by the Web service over TCP/SOAP.

Solution: Verify that the Log Service is started according to the "Validate that the Log Service is functional" chapter.

The statistical values are not changing.

Cause: No log messages are generated/come over the UDP channel.

Solution: See the "Check the log configuration on the web server" chapter.

The Statistics tab in Edit mode reads “The log service is not configured with a database. Saved history will not be shown.”

Cause: The Log Service is not able to save data into the database.

Solution: See the "Check if the Log Service is configured" chapter.

Solutions

CHECK IF THE LOG SERVICE IS INSTALLED

The installation directory (%Program files%/EPiServer.LogService) should contain the executables and the configuration files for the Log Service. If it is empty, install the service according to the "Manual Installation" chapter.

CHECK THE LOG CONFIGURATION ON THE WEB SERVER

Verify that the configuration file EPiServer.Config exists in the Web server's root directory. In the sample project the file is named EPiServerLog.Config.Default so it not will start logging automatically.

The configuration file must contain

• A UDPappender whose remoteAdress property is the Log Service IP address. remotePort must be set to the same value as the Log Service configuration property udpClientPort and encoding must be set to Unicode.

• A logger called EPiServer.DataAccess.PageSaveDB on DEBUG level, if the component for showing last published pages is to be used.

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• A logger called EPiServer.Util.PixelImg on INFO level, if you want statistics generation with transparent gif to work

• A root logger, if you want a centralized logging for the whole Web site. CHECK IF THE LOG SERVICE IS CONFIGURED

The configuration file for the Log Service must be called EPiServer.LogService.exe.config

and be located in the Log Service home directory

(%Programfiles%\EPiServer.LogService.exe.config).

The Log Service is, by default, not started automatically when EPiServer is installed the file is called

EPiServer.LogService.exe.config.Default. Important configuration for the Log Service:

UDP port for log messages

udpClientPort has to be the same value as the Web service log configuration remotePort for the

UDPappender located in the file EPiServer.Log.Config. CHECK IF THE LOGGING IS DONE WITH TRANSPARENT GIF

If there is a reference to the transparent .gif file, there must also be a HTML tag on the page to be included in the statistics. This page should start with:

<img width='1' height='1' alt=''...

This tag generates a transparent .gif file that sends log messages to the Log Service if it is present on the Web site.

The log message that is sent by the transparent .gif has the following looks like this:

2005-04-12 10:52:05,444 |mySite|Page|...

Log4net will not write to the log file if EPiServerLog.Config is corrupt. Test if the configuration is correct by creating a file appender that writes log messages directly to a file and changes the log level for the root logger to DEBUG. If no file is created, the EPiServerLog.Config is corrupt and has to be rewritten.

VALIDATE THAT THE LOG SERVICE IS FUNCTIONAL

In the installation directory for the Log Service, the log server's own log file is located in

%Program files%\Logs\. If this file is not present, the initial error message is written to the Windows Event Handler on the local machine.

The Log Service log should look like below if the Log Service is started.

Starting Udp Server, listen to port 7070

Log Service Installation Instructions