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Background documentation Monitoring and Displaying Log Files  Locate the document in its SAP Library structure

Concepts

Log and trace files contain information about the system execution.

      Log records are mainly used by administrators to monitor the system operation and to perform error analysis. Logs are typically written to categories.

      Trace records are usually used by developers or support (engineers) to record and analyze the occurrence of certain events in programs during runtime. Traces are typically written to locations.

More information: Logging Features.

Configuration

The table below contains configuration settings you can perform if the default setting are not suitable:

Configuration Task

Description

Configure log controllers severities

You use the Log Configuration tool in the SAP NetWeaver Administrator.

The default severity values are:

      for categories – INFO.

      for locations – WARNING.

More information: Log Configuration with SAP NWA.

Configure storage of traces

You can configure the storage location for trace files, using the Log Manager.

More information: Log Manager.

Switch archiving on and off

Log and trace archiving is switched off by default. You can switch it on and configure the archive storage location and specify which files to be archived.

More information: Configuring Log Files Archiving.

Tasks

The table below contains tasks you can perform, when required:

Task

Description

Filter and display logs when the AS Java is running

In any predefined or custom view, you can filter and display log and trace records on the  AS Java that meet a specified filter criterion.

More information: Filtering Logs and Traces.

Filter and display logs when the AS Java is not running

If an AS Java is not running on the system to be monitored, you can filter and display log and trace records, using the predefined Standalone Log Viewer view.

More information: Viewing Standalone Log Viewer.

Search logs

You can search for a string in a log record.

More information: Searching for Logs and Traces.

Display log records with severity ERROR or FATAL

To monitor the SAP NetWeaver system landscape for critical issues, in any predefined view or custom view, you can filter and display only log and trace records with severity ERROR or FATAL.

Deleting log files

Three ways of deleting log files:

      Automatic – when the logs reach the size of five files at 10 MB each, the new logs start overwriting the old ones, that is, the old logs are deleted automatically.

If you activate archiving, the system backs up the set of five files into a ZIP file and then starts overwriting the first log file.

      You can manually delete part of the log or trace files that you do not need, for example, you may not need the default traces.

Caution

In several countries, the backup of security logs is enforced by law. Therefore, you must perform regular backups and keep all of your security log files.

      You can delete the temporary log and trace files that are generated by the system when you view the archives using the Log Viewer. When you open archives of logs and traces, the log and trace files of each archive are extracted to the temporary directory ./log/archive/temp.

Afterwards, the log and trace files are not deleted from the temporary directory. The next time you want to view the same archives, they will be displayed faster.

Recommendation

We recommend that you delete these log and trace files periodically to save disk space.

Monitor log and trace file size

There are two types of monitors for logs and traces – for files size and for achieve size.

More information: Log Configurator.

You can also change the settings of the monitor’s traffic light, for example, the value when the monitor’s traffic light changes from yellow to green. To perform this, use the Monitor Browser in the SAP NetWeaver Administrator.

More information: Monitor Browser .

Tools

The Log Viewer tool in the SAP NetWeaver Administrator allows you to view all list and text formatted logs and traces that are generated from the whole SAP NetWeaver system landscape. 

You can also use the following tools to monitor and display logs:

      SAP Management Console

      Command Line Log Viewer

Additional Information

From <Drive>:\usr\sap\<SID>\<Instance name>\j2ee\cluster\<Server name>\log, display the following files:

\system\database.log

\system\security.log

\system\server.log

\system\logging.log

\system\userinterface.log

\system\configchanges.log

\application.log

For more information about the logging categories and tracing locations of the CE components, see SAP Note 1048624.

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