Event LogsTasks |
Configure an Event Log
To configure the size and
retention settings of an event log, do
the following:Right-click on an event log
default). Monitor your logs, and if they grow too quickly, increase
the maximum log size so events don't get lost. You
can configure retention settings in one of three modes:
- Overwrite events as needed
This is the default setting and means that circular logging is
configured. Once the log becomes full, old events are deleted to make
room for new ones. This setting can result in loss of important
information and should be changed as soon as your server becomes
operational on the network.- Overwrite events older than seven days
This is another form of circular logging. You can select this option
if you know that your maximum log size is large enough to prevent
your log from getting full, and if you regularly archive your log at
the end of each logging interval and then clear the log to free up
space for the next interval.- Do not overwrite events
Use this setting if you have adequate disk space for the event log
and when security and system functionality is a priority for your
enterprise and you need to keep a long-life paper trail. You must
monitor and archive the log periodically and manually clear the
events before the log becomes full. Otherwise, if the log becomes
full, WS2003 stops writing new events to the log.
If you have configured auditing on your system and security is a
concern, you can configure your system to shut down when the Security
log becomes full. Set the retention setting on the log to
"Do not overwrite events," then use
Registry Editor to create or assign the value of 1 to the
REG_DWORD key called
CrashOnAuditFail in:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa
and reboot your machine (use caution when editing the registry!). If
the Security log fills up, the system will display a message saying
"Audit failed" and will stop
responding. To recover from this, reboot and log on as Administrator,
open Event Viewer, archive the Security log if desired, and then
clear it.
|
View an Event Log
Select an event log in the
console tree
to display a list of events in the details pane. Recent events are
listed at the top by default, but you can sort by type, date, and
other attributes by clicking on the heading of each column in the
details pane. Sorting by type lets you check for critical (error)
events quickly; sorting by source helps you troubleshoot problems
associated with specific services or devices; sorting by event ID
helps you isolate specific conditions and system activities that
cause problems. These methods help you quickly determine the
frequency and severity of a problem. Use the up or down arrows to
scroll through events and the other funny button to copy the details
of the event to the clipboard so you can paste it into a document or
email message. Note the event ID if you need to contact a Microsoft
support technician. Double-click on a particular event in the details
pane to display more information about the event.To filter out unwanted events so you can focus on the problem at hand:Right-click on an event log
computer.
Archive an Event Log
Right-click on an event log
located in
%SystemRoot%\System32\config . They can be
archived (saved) in one of three formats:
- Log-file format (.evt file)
Can be opened and viewed again only in Event Viewer- Comma-delimited text file (.csv file)
Can be imported into a spreadsheet or database- Text-file (.txt file)
Can be cut and pasted into a Word file or other application
Use the .evt format if you want to keep the
binary information recorded in events, as this information is
discarded with the other formats. Once a log has been archived, you
can view it again by:Right-click on Event Viewer node