Notes.ini Entry


Name:
    Retain_Mirror_Logs

Syntax
    Retain_Mirror_Logs=0 / 1

Applies to:
    Servers

Add-on:

    First Release:
      8.5

    Obsolete since:

      Category:
        Console, Logging

      Default:
        0 = Deletes all previous console mirror files

      UI equivalent:
        There is no kown UI setting for this notes.ini variable. But you can specify this setting in the notes.ini settings tab of the configuration settings document.

      Description:
      One of the new features of Lotus Domino 8.5 is the mirroring of a console log file.

      Console log mirroring causes a new server thread to be created which monitors all messages written to the Console Log file and duplicates these messages into another file. When this new file is filled, the thread closes the mirrored file and creates a new file into which subsequent messages are written.Thus you have all messages not only in log.nsf but also in flat files. You may use them later to parse and send to a third party application or search them.

      There are several notes.ini parameters that impact how the Console Log Mirroring is workings.

      Console_Log_Mirror=1 -- Enables the mirroring of console (0 Disables the mirroring (Default))
      Retain_Mirror_Logs=1 -- Prevents deletion of previous mirrors when Domino restarts (0 Deletes all previous console mirror files (Default).
      Console_Log_Max_Kbytes= -- Sets the maximum size of the Console Log/mirror files; when this limit is reached, a new file is created. The default value is 100,000 (100MB). Maximum size is 1,000,000 (1GB).

      When information is written to console log, it is written also in the console mirror files. When console.log reaches a limit, information is written in the beginning of the file. At this stage Domino closes the old mirror file, and creates a new one.
      The maximum number of console mirror files is 999. The names of the files are console1.log, console2.log, ... console999.log.

      You may find additional information on Console Log Mirroring here:
      http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/domhelp/v8r0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.help.domino.admin85.doc/H_USING_CONSOLE_LOG_MONITORING_STEPS.html


      When enabled, console log mirroring creates the new server thread "Console Log Mirror Task." If the NOTES.INI setting Retain_Mirror_Logs=1 is not set, the new task begins deleting previous mirror files, and then creates a new file assigned the name of the console log (CONSOLE.LOG) with a number appended to it. The maximum appended number is 999. The first available number is used. If console10.log exists, console9.log and then console11.log are created. The file, CONSOLE.LOG, is created in the IBM_TECHNICAL_SUPPORT directory under the data directory. As the console log changes, data is read from the console log and copied to the new mirror log file.

      Console log mirroring uses circular logging; therefore, when mirroring is enabled, circular logging is automatically enabled. When the console log wraps, the new mirror file is created. When mirroring is enabled, the default value for Console_Log_Max_Kbytes is 100,000 (100 MB) and the maximum value is 1,000,000 (1 GB). If mirroring is enabled and Console_Log_Max_Kbytes is not specified in the NOTES.INI file, the setting is not written back to the NOTES.INI file. Instead, Domino acts as though Console_Log_Max_Kbytes=100000 had been specified.

      If mirroring fails, the following message is printed to the console log:

      Console Log Mirror Task has been disabled

      The server can tolerate up to a three second delay by the mirror task. If the mirror task fails to catch up in three seconds, mirroring is automatically disabled. A failed read or write will also disable console log mirroring. Mirroring remains disabled until the server is restarted.
      Example

      The NOTES.INI file contains Console_Log_Mirror=1. The Domino server is started. The file CONSOLE.LOG is created in the IBM_TECHNICAL_SUPPORT directory under the data directory. File console1.log is created. The file CONSOLE.LOG captures console output and grows to 100MB. Data is also written to console1.log. When CONSOLE.LOG reaches 100MB, console1.log is closed and console2.log is created. The position in CONSOLE.LOG is reset to the beginning and previous data is overwritten. New data is copied to console2.log. The cycle repeats until Domino terminates or until console999.log reaches 100MB. When Domino is restarted, console1.log through console999.log are deleted because Retain_Mirror_Logs=1 is not specified in the NOTES.INI file.