View the Windows Firewall Log File

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Use this procedure when you want to view the data that has been written to the Windows Firewall log. This is useful if you are troubleshooting Windows Firewall problems or you are temporarily monitoring Windows Firewall behavior.

Administrative Credentials

No special administrative credentials are required to perform this task.

Special Considerations

No special considerations are required to perform this task.

To view the Windows Firewall log

This procedure can be performed using the graphical user interface.

Using the graphical user interface

To view the Windows Firewall log

  1. Open Windows Firewall, and click the Advanced tab.

  2. In Security Logging, click Settings.

  3. In the Log Settings dialog box, click Save As.

  4. Right-click the log file name, and then click Open.

If a Windows Firewall setting appears dimmed in the graphical user interface, and on the General tab, you see For your security, some settings are controlled by Group Policy, the setting might be managed by Group Policy. If all Windows Firewall settings appear dimmed, and on the General tab, you see You must be a computer administrator to change these settings, you do not have administrative rights to configure Windows Firewall.

Notes

  • To start Windows Firewall, click Start, point to Control Panel, and then click Windows Firewall.

  • Windows Firewall is not included in the original release of the Windows ServerĀ 2003 operating systems.

  • By default, the Windows Firewall log file is named Pfirewall.log and is saved in the systemroot folder.

  • You must enable the Windows Firewall log file for it to appear in the systemroot folder.

See Also

Concepts

Known Issues for Using the Windows Firewall Log
Enable or Disable the Windows Firewall Log
Change the Size of the Windows Firewall Log File
Change the Name and Location of the Windows Firewall Log File