Managing Log Files

The log file names, location and format are all properties of the Java log Handler. GigaSpaces uses a rolling file handler implemented by the class com.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler, which is based on Java'sjava.util.logging.FileHandler`, but with extended functionality. It provides two policies that can trigger a "rollover" to a new file, and a customizable extension point for backing up files.

Rolling Over to a New File

The rollover mechanism is based on two policies, whichever policy is triggered first:

• File size rolling policy (default 2MB)
• Time based rolling policy (default is daily)

formatter Property

The default log output formatting is determined by GSSimpleFormatter (see Formatting Log Messages).

com.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.formatter = com.gigaspaces.logger.GSSimpleFormatter

filename-pattern Property

The file name pattern can be configured to include a placeholder for properties to resolve, such as homedir, host, pid and date. Each placeholder is identified by a set of curly brackets {..}. It may also be a placeholder for a custom defined property.

com.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.filename-pattern = {homedir}/logs/{date,yyyy-MM-dd~HH.mm}-gigaspaces-{service}-{host}-{pid}.log

To determine the place holder's value, we first look for an overriding system property. If no override was specified, and the property is one of the predefined properties (i.e. homedir, host, pid, date), its value is evaluated by the handler implementation. If the place holder is of a custom property, and no value is defined, the property is left as is. If any error occurs, it is reported and the property is replaced by an empty string. Example override by system property:

-Dcom.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.filename-pattern.date=yyyy-MM-dd

Customization Examples

1. One possible customization that might be of interest is to separate the log files into folders named after the host names. To achieve this, the pattern would need to have the {host} placeholder as one of the directory paths - as follows:

com.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.filename-pattern = {homedir}/logs/{host}/{date,yyyy-MM-dd~HH.mm}-gigaspaces-{service}-{pid}.log

<GigaSpace>/logs/
  + host1
      - *.log
  + host2
      - *.log

2. We would like to be able to configure the path where GigaSpaces puts its logs. Set the \{homedir\} property placeholder with the following system property:

-Dcom.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.filename-pattern.homedir = /dev/output/logs

And have the filename-pattern include the homedir key

com.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.filename-pattern = {homedir}/mylog.log

3. We would like to configure a custom filename-pattern property of our own. Set a \{mycustom\} property placeholder with the following system property:

-Dcom.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.filename-pattern.mycustom = value

And have the filename-pattern include the mycustom property key

com.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.filename-pattern = ../{mycustom}/mylog.log

append Property

The append property specifies if output should be appended to an existing file. Default is set to false. Thus, if a file already exists by this name, a unique incrementing index to resolve the conflict will be concatenated. It will be added at the end of the filename replacing ".log" with "__{unique}.log" or at the end of the filename if the pattern doesn't end with ".log".

com.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.append = false

size-rolling-policy Property

The file size rolling policy can be configured to roll the file when a size limit is reached. It specifies an approximate maximum amount to write (in bytes) to any one file. If this is zero, then there is no limit. If the property is omitted, then a default of 2MB is assumed.

com.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.size-rolling-policy = 2000000

time-rolling-policy Property

The time based rolling policy can be configured to roll the file based on a certain recurring schedule. The time policy can be set to one of the following values: daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. If the property is omitted, then the default pattern of "daily" is assumed; meaning a daily rollover (at midnight). For example, if "monthly" is configured, the file will rollover at the beginning of each month.

com.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.time-rolling-policy = daily

backup-policy Property

A backup-policy can be configured to backup files. By default a NullBackupPolicy is configured, which does nothing. It can be replaced by a DeleteBackupPolicy to keep a backup of files for a specified period. The BackupPolicy interface allows custom implementations to be plugged-in.

com.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.backup-policy = com.gigaspaces.logger.DeleteBackupPolicy
com.gigaspaces.logger.DeleteBackupPolicy.period = 30
com.gigaspaces.logger.DeleteBackupPolicy.backup = 10

For more information see Backing-up Files With a Custom Policy

debug-level Property

The debug level (configured to one of logging Levels) is the level in which debug messages are displayed to the "standard" output stream. By default the level is configured to "CONFIG" which displays the log file name.

"Log file: /export/users/gs/gigaspaces-xap/logs/2010-08-04~12.29-gigaspaces-cli-lab1-4422.log"

com.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.debug-level = CONFIG

This can also be overridden by a system property.

System Property Overrides

Any of the logger properties can be configured by a system property override, specified as follows:

-Dcom.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.[property-name]=[property-value]

For example:

-Dcom.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.debug-level=OFF

UI - Logging

The GigaSpaces Management Center and the Web Management Console are not part of the services, and their configuration should be done separately in the gs-ui.sh or gs-ui.bat file for the GigaSpaces Management Center, and thegs-webui.sh or gs-webui.bat file for the Web Management Console.

For example: write to a separate file, you need to add this system property:

-Dcom.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.filename-pattern=D:/Logs/GigaSpaces/gs-ui-{pid}.log

Appending the log message to the same log as other services, you need to add this system property:

-Dcom.gigaspaces.logger.RollingFileHandler.append=true