The Audit Log

Sterling Gentran:Server® system components such as the Translator and Process Control write audit messages to the Audit Log to indicate user actions and system processing. The Audit Log displays these Audit Log entries in list format, enabling you to monitor system activities.

The Audit Log component allows you to:

  • View a list of audit messages written to the Audit Log.
  • View detailed information about specified Log entries.
  • Page to scan groups of audit messages.
  • Search for specific Audit Log entries.
  • Customize the Audit Log display by changing:
    • column sizes
    • view preferences
    • sort order
  • Filter the Audit Log list to display specific messages only.
  • Refresh the Audit Log list to view new entries.

Page setting

The Sterling Gentran:Server Audit Log displays a fixed number of entries at one time. The number of entries displayed at one time defines the page size of the display (the default number of entries displayed on one page is 1000).

You can scroll within a page to view entries as needed, using the arrow keys or Page Up and Page Down. You page up or down to view the next page (group of entries) by pressing Ctrl + Page Up or Ctrl + Page Down. For example, if the Audit Notification system has 10,000 Audit Log entries in it (the system allows an unlimited number) and if the page size for the Audit Log dialog box is set to 5,000, the system displays the most current 5,000 entries, with the most current first (in this case, entries 10,000 to 5,000). You can scroll down to view entry 5,000. You can page to view entries 5,000 to 1 by pressing Ctrl + Page Down.

You can change the number of entries displayed (therefore, the page size). This allows you to break the Audit Log list into manageable chunks so you can scroll easily through the entries you need to scan. Limiting the number of entries per page also can decrease the time it takes the system to display the Audit Log.

Change the page size by selecting Preferences from the Audit Log Options menu. The system displays the Audit Log Page Size Configuration dialog box. You can change the value in the box.

Note: If you have been paging through Audit Log entries and then refresh the dialog box, the system re-displays the most current data, starting at the first page.

Sort order

To change the order in which Audit Log entries are listed, you can click on a column on the Sterling Gentran:Server Audit Log browser. When you click the column, the system sorts the entries according to the criteria contained in that column (such as Event Name and Audit Number).

Within the chosen category, entries are listed alphabetically, and secondarily in date/time order from newest to oldest. For example, if you click on the Event Name column to sort entries, the system lists the entries, beginning with all event names that start with A, then those that start with B, and so on. If the first entries starting with A are event name Administrator, all entries for Administrator are listed in date/time format with newest first.

You can use the change sort order function in only one column at a time. For example, if you click on the User column and then click on the Date column, the system sorts the entries by Date, not by Date within User.

View options

You can direct the system to list entries on the Sterling Gentran:Server Audit Log browser in Date/time view or Event view. In Event view, Audit Log entries are grouped together by Event ID. (Within the Event ID groups, the system lists events in date/time order, with most current first.) In Date/time view, the system lists all Audit Log entries in date/time order, with the most current audit entry being first on the list.

Note: Event view is the default setting if you are viewing the Audit Log for the first time after a new installation of Sterling Gentran:Server. Both views display the severity of the message, the date, time, event name, Event ID, audit number, and message text of the Audit Log entries.

Access these options from the View menu by selecting Current View.

Accessing the Audit Log

You can access the Audit Log in the following ways:

  • Select Audit Log from the Main Toolbar on the Mailbox Server Manager dialog box.
  • Select Audit Log from the Main Toolbar on the Sterling Gentran:Server EDI Manager window.

    The Audit Log icon depicts a red exclamation point within a yellow circle and a white piece of paper.

  • Select Audit Log from the View menu on the Sterling Gentran:Server EDI Manager window.

Refresh function

The Audit Log component allows you to refresh the Sterling Gentran:Server Audit Log browser to view any new entries made since you opened it. You can select Refresh from the View menu or press F5.

Deleting Audit Log entries

You can delete Audit Log entries on the Sterling Gentran:Server Audit Log browser by selecting the entry you want to delete and pressing Delete.

Purging the Audit Log

You can purge the contents of the Audit Log using either of the following methods:

  • On the Sterling Gentran:Server System Configuration dialog box, select the Audit Notification tab and click Purge. When you click Purge, the system displays a confirmation message asking if you want to delete all entries from the Audit Log. When the system completes the purge, it displays another information message to say that the purge was successful.
  • In a Process Control session, set up the GDW_Audit_Purge command.
    Note: The purged Audit Log entries are removed from the Sterling Gentran:Server Database and appended to the text file (the file name and path that you specified when you set the parameters for the GDW_Audit_Purge command). To ensure that the text file does not grow unchecked, you may want to use a File_Delete command prior to the GDW_Audit_Purge command in your session script.