Forward CMS / Manager logging to the iXperion logging system

Release 1.3 - ...

This article applies to Smartsite iXperion v1.3 build 3 and higher.

The Six Manager / CMS does its own logging, similar to Smartite 5 logging.

Smartsite iXperion includes a logging subsystem based on the Logging Application Block of the Microsoft Enterprise Library - January 2006 release. This logging subsystem can be configured through Smartsite.Logging.config and provides extensive routing, filtering, and for example allows to log to the database, to files, to mail, and more.

It is possible to configure the Six logging such that it forwards the logging information to the iXperion logging subsystem, allowing for further configuration how to handle the logging, and allowing to integrate the Six logging with the logging of the iXperion publication engine.

Six logging configuration

Six logging is configured through the registry, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Smartsite Software\Smartsite\Sites\<your site>\Logging. The following entries are existing entries intended for the old style logging:

  • Enabled: whether Six logging is enabled at all
  • Path: an optional path where to write logfiles, for example D:\Sites\<your site>\logFiles\Six. This is also the default, unlike the former default to use a folder like C:\Windows\System32\LogFiles\SixSmartsite.
  • Categories: a subkey for further specification of the log treshold level for various log categories.

Forward logging

The following entries are intended to forward logging to the iXperion logging subsystem.

  • CmsLoggingEnabled. Set this to 0 to disable forwarding and set this to 1 to enable forwarding. Enabled and CmsLoggingEnabled can both be 1, resulting in both the old and new style logging. It is however recommended to use either setting.
  • LogCategoryPrefix: a prefix to add to the log categories, for example Six_. Categories like Memory and SQL will become Six_Memory and Six_SQL respectively. The prefix can also be left empty, or the registry entry can be omitted. If using a prefix remeber to also adjust the filtering configuration, which contains specifications of log categories.
  • LogMessagePrefix: a prefix to add to the log messages, for example CMS manager: . A message like Usage at end 104.42 Mb will become CMS manager: Usage at end 104.42 Mb. The prefix can also be left empty, or the registry entry can be omitted.

The iXperion logging subsystem further requires a log level and a log type.

  • The log level as used at the Six end is forwarded unchanged to the iXperion end. Log levels are by convention 1 to 10, where 1 is used for the most important events and 10 is used for the least important events.
  • The log type is always Information. At the iXperion end also Warning, Error and Trace are in use.

Logging locations

The suggested location for logging is Six respectively Cms.

  • The suggested folder is logFiles for all cases where logging to files occurs. The folder is for example D:\Sites\<your site>\logFiles.
  • For old style logging consider using subfolder Six hence logFiles\Six. The subfolder will contain files like <date>.001.log.
  • For new style logging consider using subfolder Cms hence logFiles\Cms. The subfolder will contain files like Log.xml and Log.txt.
  • There is no subfolder Pub: both the Six CMS with forwarding and the publication engine log to subfolder Cms, and subfolder Six will be obsoleted in time.

If a subfolder is not present it will be created upon the first time logging.

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