Configuring Diagnostics Logging on a Server
Diagnostics logging levels determine which additional Exchange events are written to the Application event log in Event Viewer, a Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 component that you can use to monitor hardware and software activities. You can use diagnostics logging to record significant events that are related to authentication, connections, and user actions.
The first step in configuring diagnostics logging is to decide which services on an Exchange server must be enabled for diagnostics logging.
Note
You configure diagnostics logging separately for each service on each server. For example, if you enable protocol logging on an individual virtual server, it is the setting on the Exchange server on which the virtual server runs that determines the logging capabilities for the protocol.
Diagnostics logging services
| Service | Description |
|---|---|
IMAP4Svc |
Allows users to access mailboxes and public folders through Internet Message Access Protocol version 4 (IMAP4). |
MSADC |
Runs connection agreements if Active Directory Connector is installed. |
MSExchangeAL |
Logs events when the Recipient Update Service updates address lists and e-mail addresses in the Microsoft Active Directory® directory service. |
MSExchangeDSAccess |
Allows Exchange access to Active Directory. |
MSExchangeIS |
Allows access to the Exchange store. |
MSExchangeMTA |
Allows X.400 connectors to verify whether the message transfer agent (MTA) is being used. |
MSExchangeMU |
Replicates Exchange configuration information changes to the Internet Information Services (IIS) metabase. |
MSExchangeSA |
Handles many core Exchange tasks, such as mailbox management, e-mail proxy generation, offline address list generation, and monitoring. Note This service is also known as Microsoft Exchange System Attendant. |
MSExchangeSRS |
Replicates computers that are running Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server (or later) with computers running Microsoft Exchange Server version 5.5. Note This service is also known as Site Replication Service (SRS). |
MSExchangeTransport |
Controls message routing and transport functions in Exchange. If you experience mail flow problems, set diagnostics logging for this service. |
POP3Svc |
Controls the operation of POP3. |
After selecting a service, the next step is to set the logging levels for those services. There are four logging levels of detail. When Exchange generates an event less than or equal to the logging level, the event is logged. Events range from significant events (such as application failures) to moderately important events (such as the receipt of messages across a gateway) to events that are relevant only to debugging. Typically, you log only critical events. However, when problems occur, diagnostics logging helps you to change the logging levels to capture more events in greater detail.
Logging levels
| Logging levels | Description |
|---|---|
None |
Only critical events, error events, and events with a logging level of zero are logged. Note This is the default level for all services on Exchange servers. |
Minimum |
Events with a logging level of 1 or lower are logged. |
Medium |
Events with a logging level of 3 or lower are logged. |
Maximum |
Events with a logging level of 5 or lower are logged. |
After selecting a logging level, logging begins automatically whenever you start Exchange. You can view the log entries in Event Viewer. For more information about configuring diagnostics logging, see How to Configure Diagnostics Logging.