Configuring log files

You can specify the types of messages that you want to log and specify options for creating log files.

About this task

To prevent log files from consuming too much disk space, the system rotates log files, and always starts a new log file whenever the current date changes. If one log file grows to its maximum allowable size, and the date did not change, the system creates a new log file. When the maximum number of log files is reached, the oldest log file is discarded so that a new one can be created.

To receive email about logged messages, you first specify information about how the email is to be delivered. You then specify which messages you want to receive email for.

Procedure

To configure log files:

Do one of the following actions:
- To specify options for creating and rotating collection-level log files, open the Collections view, locate the collection that you want to configure, and click Actions > Logging > Configure log file options.
- To specify options for creating and rotating system-level log files, open the System view. On the Log page, click Configure log file options.
In the Type of information to log field and Type of information to trace for audit field, select the types of messages that you want to log:
Error messages only

Error messages indicate that an undesirable situation or unexpected behavior occurred and that the process cannot continue. You must take action to correct the problem.

Error and warning messages

Warning messages indicate a possible conflict or inconsistency, but they do not cause a process to stop. This option is the default.

All messages

Information messages provide general information about the system or current task and do not require any corrective action.
Important: Selecting this option can negatively affect system performance. Log all messages only when you need to troubleshoot problems or if you are requested to do so by IBM® Software Support.
In the Maximum size of each log file field, type the maximum number of megabytes for each log file. The default and maximum value is 16 MB.
When the log file grows to this size, a new log file is created, up to the maximum number of log files that you allow. By keeping log files relatively small, you can view them more efficiently.
In the Maximum number of log files field, type the maximum number of log files that you want to create. The default value is 10.
If you want to ensure that older log messages are available for review, increase this value. If you are more interested in recent messages and do not need to maintain a long history of activity, decrease this value.
In the Default locale field, select the language that you want to use to log messages. The default value is English.
For your changes to become effective, restart the Watson Explorer Content Analytics system:
esdmin system stopall
esdmin system startall