Setting up Domino® Web server logging to text files

To set up logging the Domino® Web server to text files, you must enable logging (by default, logging is disabled).

About this task

By default, Domino® stores log files in the data directory. While the Web server is running, it creates new log files depending on the log file duration settings. If the Web server is not running, it creates log files as needed when the Web server is started.

Some information may increase the size of the log file without providing meaningful information -- requests for graphics or icons, for example, so you may want to exclude that type of information from the log.

Procedure

  1. From the Domino® Administrator, click the Configuration tab.
  2. Open the Server document for the Web server.
  3. Click the Internet Protocols > HTTP tab.
  4. Under Enable Logging To, select Enabled for the Log files field.
  5. Under Log File Settings, complete these fields:
    Table 1. Log File Settings

    Field

    Enter

    Access log format

    Choose one:

    • Common -- To log information in three separate log files
    • Extended Common -- To log information in one file
    Note: Although you have the option of logging to three separate files, most third-party log-analysis tools require a single text file.

    Time format

    Choose one to record the time of requests:

    • LocalTime (default) -- To use the time zone currently set on the server
    • GMT-- To use Greenwich Mean Time

    Log file duration

    Choose one to determine how often a new log file is created:

    Note: The prefixes used in the file names are chosen in the Log File Names section of the Server document.
    • Daily (default) -- To create a new log file each day, starting at midnight. Daily log files use the file naming convention:

    file name prefixDDMMYYYY.log

    Example: The access log file for May 29, 2001 is access-log29051998.log

    • Weekly -- To create a new log file each week, starting on Sunday at midnight. Weekly log files use the file naming convention:

    file name prefix__WWYYYY.log

    Example: The access log for the week of May 24, 2001 is access-log__212001.log.

    • Monthly -- To create a new log file each month, starting at midnight on the first day of the month. Monthly log files use the file naming convention:

    file name prefix--MMYYYY.log

    Example: The access log file for May 2001 is access-log--052001.log.

    • Never -- To create log files of unlimited duration. The file naming convention is:

    file name prefix.log

    Example: The CGI error log file is cgi-error-log.log.

    Maximum log entry length

    The maximum length allowed for an individual entry in the access log file. If the entry exceeds this length it is not written to the file. The default is 10 kilobytes.

    Maximum size of access log

    The maximum size allowed for the access log file. If this limit is reached no more entries are written to the file. A value of zero (the default) indicates that the size is unlimited.
  6. Under Log File Names, complete these fields:
    Table 2. Log File names

    Field

    Enter

    Directory for log files

    The directory to store the log files; if this field is blank, Domino® stores the log files in the data directory

    Access log

    The prefix to use when creating the Access log file. The default is access. Do not enter a file extension.

    Agent log

    The prefix to use when creating the Agent log file. The default is agent.

    Note: If you chose the Extended Common format, you will not have an agent log; this information will be included in the access log.

    Referer log

    The prefix to use when creating the Referer log file. The default is referer.

    Note: If you chose the Extended Common format, you will not have a referer log; this information will be included in the access log.

    CGI error log

    The prefix to use for the cgi error log. The default is cgi-error.

    Note: The cgi-error log is created only if the CGI script logs information to stderr. The format of cgi-error log information is CGI script dependent. The Access log format does not affect the cgi-error log in any way.
  7. Optional: Under Exclude From Logging, complete these fields to exclude certain types of information from the log file:
    Table 3. Exclude From Logging

    Field

    Action

    URLs

    Enter URL paths to exclude -- for example, *.gif or /anydir/*

    Methods

    Enter HTTP methods -- for example, POST or DELETE

    MIME types

    Enter MIME types to exclude -- for example, image (for all images) or image/gif (for .gif images)

    User agents

    Enter strings that are part of user agent (browser) strings to exclude requests from a particular user agent.

    • To exclude Microsoft™ Internet Explorer, enter MSIE*

    Return codes

    Enter HTTP response status codes to exclude -- for example, 300 or 400

    Hosts and domains

    Enter browser client DNS names or IP addresses to exclude -- for example, 130.333.* or *.edu

    Note: To enter DNS names, you must first enable the DNS Lookup setting in the HTTP Server section of the Server document. Otherwise, you can enter only IP addresses. Enabling this setting impacts performance.
  8. Save the document.