Specifying How Log Files are Saved

You can specify the directory in which log files are saved. You can also specify the criterion that will cause IIS to begin a new log file instead of continuing to append to the old one. For example, you can specify that IIS will begin a new log file each week.

1. Make sure that logging is enabled by following the procedure in Enabling Logging.
2. Select a Web or FTP site and open its property sheets.
3. On the Web Site or FTP Site property sheet, click Properties.

The Logging Properties dialog box appears.


4. On the General Properties property sheet, select the criterion you want IIS to use when starting a new log file.

Note   For the Daily, Weekly, and Monthly criteria for new log files, "midnight" is defined in the time zone used by the chosen log format. This means that for NCSA Common Log File Format or ODBC Logging, "midnight" is on local time; for Microsoft IIS Log Format and W3C Extended Log File Format, "midnight" is on Greenwich Mean Time.


• Daily: Log files created daily, starting with the first entry that occurs after midnight.
• Weekly: Log files created weekly, starting with the first entry that occurs as Sunday begins (after midnight).
• Monthly: Log files created monthly, starting with the first entry that occurs as the month begins (after midnight).
• Unlimited file size: Data is always appended to the same log file. You can access this log file only after stopping the site (that is, by starting Internet Service Manager, selecting the site, and clicking the Stop button).
• When file size reaches: A new log file is created when the current log file reaches a given size; specify the size you want.
5. Under Log file directory, type the directory in which log files should be saved, or click Browse and locate the directory.

The directory must be local and the path cannot be relative. That is, you cannot use UNC paths such as \\server1\share1\, mapped network drives, or the characters  . .\  when you specify the log file directory.

6. Click Apply.

A file name is displayed beneath the box showing the directory; the file name pattern is explained in the following table.


7. Click OK until you have closed all dialog boxes.

File Names for Logging

File names for logging use the first several letters to represent the logging format, and the remaining numbers to represent the time frame or sequence of the log. The following table provides details. The italicized letters represent digits: nn for sequential digits, yy for the year, mm for the month, ww for the week of the month, dd for the day.

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