Running log analysis

You can run the xsLogAnalyzer tool on a set of log and trace files from any computer.

Before you begin

  • Enable logs and trace. See Enabling logging and Collecting trace for more information.
  • Collect your log files. The log files can be in various locations depending on how you configured them. If you are using the default log settings, you can get the log files from the following locations:
    • In a stand-alone installation: wxs_install_root/bin/logs/<server_name>
    • In an installation that is integrated with WebSphere® Application Server: was_root/logs/<server_name>
  • Collect your trace files. The trace files can be in various locations depending on how you configured them. If you are using the default trace settings, you can get the trace files from the following locations:
    • In a stand-alone installation: If no specific trace value is set, the trace files are written to the same location as the system out log files.
    • In an installation that is integrated with WebSphere Application Server: was_root/profiles/server_name/logs.
    Copy the log and trace files to the computer from which you are planning to use the log analyzer tool.
  • If you want to create custom scanners in your generated report, create a scanner specifications properties file and configuration file before you run the tool. For more information, see Creating custom scanners for log analysis.

Procedure

  1. Run the xsLogAnalyzer tool.
    The script is in the following locations :
    • In a stand-alone installation: wxs_install_root/ObjectGrid/bin
    • In an installation that is integrated with WebSphere Application Server: was_root/bin
    Tip: If your log files are large, consider using the -startTime, -endTime, and -maxRecords parameters when you run the report to restrict the number of log entries that are scanned. Using these parameters when you run the report makes the reports easier to read and run more effectively. You can run multiple reports on the same set of log files.
    xsLogAnalyzer.sh|bat -logsRoot c:\myxslogs -outDir c:\myxslogs\out 
-startTime 11.09.27_15.10.56.089 -endTime 11.09.27_16.10.56.089 -maxRecords 100
    -logsRoot
    Specifies the absolute path to the log directory that you want to evaluate (required).
    -outDir
    Specifies an existing directory to write the report output. If you do not specify a value, the report is written to the root location of the xsLogAnalyzer tool.
    -startTime
    Specifies the start time to evaluate in the logs. The date is in the following format: year.month.day_hour.minute.second.millisecond
    -endTime
    Specifies the end time to evaluate in the logs. The date is in the following format: year.month.day_hour.minute.second.millisecond
    -trace
    Specifies a trace string, such as ObjectGrid*=all=enabled.
    -maxRecords
    Specifies the maximum number of records to generate in the report. The default is 100. If you specify the value as 50, the first 50 records are generated for the specified time period.
  2. Open the generated files.
    If you did not define an output directory, the reports are generated in a folder called report_date_time. To open the main page of the reports, open the index.html file.
  3. Use the reports to analyze the log data.
    Use the following tips to maximize the performance of the report displays:
    • To maximize the performance of queries on the log data, use as specific information as possible. For example, a query for server takes much longer to run and returns more results than server_host_name.
    • Some views have a limited number of data points that are displayed at one time. You can adjust the segment of time that is being viewed by changing the current data, such as start and end time, in the view.

What to do next

For more information about troubleshooting the xsLogAnalyzer tool and the generated reports, see Troubleshooting log analysis.