understanding log files

External Since: Jul 13, 2003 Posts: 2

I am installing a web log analysis program and when I view the
logfiles folder, I see there is a number of folders within it.
W3SVC1, W3SVC2, W3SVC3, W3SVC4, W3SVC5, W3SVC6, W3SVC7, W3SVC9,
W3SVC0, W3SVC10, W3SVC11, W3SVC12, as well as SMTPSVC numbered folders
and MSFTPSVC numbered folders.

Looking through the W3SVC numbered folders, I found the log files,
such as ex030925 and so forth from the day the server was set up three
months ago. These seem to have the information I'm after and the log
analysis program indeed organizes the info pretty well. My question
is, how do I know which of those 12 folders is what I want? Some of
them have files with the same dates as in another folder. I thought
maybe each was a month's records since there are 12 such folders but
that doesn't seem to be the case since some have a .log file for
everyday since 3 months ago when set up, some don't and have only a
few .log files from, say, last month, and the .log file sizes vary
considerably where there are files of the same date and time within
different W3SVC folders.

I don't need the SMTP or FTP logs for this. But I can't figure out
which folder or folders of .log files I'm to point the analyzer to.
The IIS FAQ I read didn't explain the multiply folder naming, just the
..log naming conventions.

Anyone care to offer an explanation or point me to a FAQ or book
accordingly? Thanks.

External Since: Aug 23, 2003 Posts: 2972

Hi,

It's a separate folder for each website running on your server.

Start IIS Manager, click on "Web Sites" in the left pane, and look at the
column "identifier" in the right pane. That's the number attached to W3SVCx.
In this way, you should be able to find out which folder you are interested
in.

--
Regards,
Kristofer Gafvert
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.ilopia.com" target="_blank">http://www.ilopia.com</a> - FAQ & Tutorials for Windows Server 2003, and SQL
Server 2000
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"Carol Lyn" <carol07055.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:thc0ovgfq2tsquqsl951bvvkiptbt0lp18@4ax.com...
> I am installing a web log analysis program and when I view the
> logfiles folder, I see there is a number of folders within it.
> W3SVC1, W3SVC2, W3SVC3, W3SVC4, W3SVC5, W3SVC6, W3SVC7, W3SVC9,
> W3SVC0, W3SVC10, W3SVC11, W3SVC12, as well as SMTPSVC numbered folders
> and MSFTPSVC numbered folders.
>
> Looking through the W3SVC numbered folders, I found the log files,
> such as ex030925 and so forth from the day the server was set up three
> months ago. These seem to have the information I'm after and the log
> analysis program indeed organizes the info pretty well. My question
> is, how do I know which of those 12 folders is what I want? Some of
> them have files with the same dates as in another folder. I thought
> maybe each was a month's records since there are 12 such folders but
> that doesn't seem to be the case since some have a .log file for
> everyday since 3 months ago when set up, some don't and have only a
> few .log files from, say, last month, and the .log file sizes vary
> considerably where there are files of the same date and time within
> different W3SVC folders.
>
> I don't need the SMTP or FTP logs for this. But I can't figure out
> which folder or folders of .log files I'm to point the analyzer to.
> The IIS FAQ I read didn't explain the multiply folder naming, just the
> .log naming conventions.
>
> Anyone care to offer an explanation or point me to a FAQ or book
> accordingly? Thanks.
>