Contents
 Using the Network Event Log

Use the Network Event Log to intercept, view, and forward system messages and errors.

Introduction

What Is the Network Event Log?

How To...

Start the Network Event Log and View Errors

Stop the Network Event Log

Set Reported Error Levels

Copy the Network Event Log to the Clipboard

Log Errors to a File

Insert Marks in the Log

Log Errors to a Remote Host

Log Windows Sockets Messages and Errors

Troubleshoot Network Event Log Problems


What Is the Network Event Log?

The Network Event Log monitors the operation of many network functions, including Windows Sockets, and logs messages and errors as they occur. Its purpose is similar to the UNIX syslogd function and the Windows 3.1 Dr. Watson application. For example, using the Network Event Log, you can create an audit trail of the services provided by your PC to other users. You do this by logging the services started by the Local Services Startup function.

You can log messages and errors to three log locations, and you determine the severity of the messages and errors logged to each location. You can also direct the Network Event Log to mark the log at specific intervals. Enable the mark function to assure yourself that the Network Event Log is monitoring operations, when few or no messages or errors occur.

Logged information includes the date and time of the message or error, the source, and a brief description of the message or error. When output is directed to a remote host, the name of the remote host to which the information is being forwarded is also included in the message or error log entry.


Log Locations

You can direct message and error logging to one or more of these locations:

The Network Event Log window

A text file

A remote host

For example, if you are an administrator, you might want to log errors of all severity to the Network Event Log window for easy viewing on the local PC, log errors of moderate severity and above to a text file to maintain an error history, and forward the most severe errors to your personal host machine. This would allow you to keep track of a problematic node and respond quickly to emergency conditions.


Mark

The Network Event Log can insert a mark in the error log at a specified interval. The mark is a time/date stamp that assures you logging is occurring, even though no errors or messages appear in the log.


Window

The Network Event Log window displays the most recent 500 messages and errors. When additional messages or errors are logged, they displace the oldest errors stored in the dialog. To view current incoming errors in a full dialog, place the scroll control at the bottom of the vertical scroll bar. Use the horizontal scroll bar to view full error text.


File

The Network Event Log can write messages and errors to a text file. This file is updated as each error is logged. Available disk space is the only limit on the size of the log file. If there is not enough disk space to maintain the log file, an error appears in the Network Event Log dialog.

Tip: To preserve disk space, especially when the mark option is enabled, periodically archive or erase the Network Event Log error file.


Host

The Network Event Log can forward messages and errors to a remote host that is running the syslogd daemon program. Forwarded errors are displayed where the syslogd program on the remote system dictates. This could be the Console, a file, etc. An error message appears in the Network Event Log window if you attempt to forward errors to a host with an invalid host name.


Error Severity

You can choose up to eight levels of error and message severity in the Network Event Log:

Emergency - Most severe error, indicates a panic condition

Alert - Condition that should be corrected immediately (e.g., corrupted database)

Critical - Indicates critical conditions (e.g., hard-drive errors)

Other - Reports general system errors

Warning - Returns system warning messages

Notice - Returns Nonerror conditions that may require special handling

Informational - Displays informational system messages

Debug - Least severe, presents helpful debugging information

The severity level identifies a threshold above which messages and errors are logged. For example, if you select the Warning level, all Other-, Critical-, Alert- and Emergency-level errors and messages are also logged.


How to Start the Network Event Log and View Errors.
How to Start the Network Event Log and View Errors

1.	Double-click the Network Event Log icon.

The Network Event Log starts and its window opens. Errors are displayed in the window as they occur.

2.	Optionally, minimize the window.

A Network Event Log icon appears on the desktop, and errors are continually logged. Up to 500 errors are stored for display in the Network Event Log window.

Tip: Configure the Network Event Log to start automatically every time you start your PC by enabling syslogd in the Services portion of the Configuration program. See Configuration help for more information.


Stop the Network Event Log

Open the Display menu and choose Exit.

The Network Event Log window closes and errors are no longer logged.


Set Reported Error Levels

1.	Double-click the Network Event Log icon.

The Network Event Log starts and its dialog box opens.

2.	Open the Display menu and choose Configuration.

The Network Event Log Configuration dialog box opens.

3.	In the Window section of the Log Messages panel, select an error level.

All error with a severity greater than the selected level are highlighted.

4.	Choose Save.

Errors of the selected severity and greater are displayed in the Network Event Log dialog.

Note: Follow the same procedure to set error levels for the File and Host sections of the Log Messages panel. Error level settings can be different for each reporting medium.


How to Copy the Error Log to the Clipboard

1.	Double-click the Network Event Log icon.

The Network Event Log starts and its dialog box opens. As they occur, errors are displayed in the dialog.

2.	Open the Edit menu and choose Copy All.

The contents of the error log are copied to the Windows clipboard. You can then paste the contents of the error log into a report or other document.


How to Log Errors to a File

1.	Double-click the Network Event Log icon.

The Network Event Log starts and its dialog box opens.

2.	Open the Display menu and choose Configure.

The Network Event Log Configuration dialog box opens.

3.	Select Log Messages to file.

An X appears in the Log Messages check box, indicating that error logging is enabled. The File Name edit box is activated.

4.	Enter a path and name for the log file in the File Name text box.

5.	Select an error severity level in the File section of the Log Messages panel.

6.	Choose Save.

The Network Event Log Configuration dialog closes. The log writes errors a message to the specified file as each error occurs.

See Also:

How to Set Reported Error Levels


How to Insert Marks in the Error Log

1.	Double-click the Network Event Log icon.

The Network Event Log starts and its dialog box opens.

2.	Open the Display menu and choose Configure.

The Network Event Log Configuration dialog box opens.

3.	Insert Insert Mark.

An "X" appears in the Insert Mark check box and the Interval text box is activated.

4.	Enter a value representing the interval in minutes between marks in the Interval edit box.

5.	Choose Save.

The Network Event Log Configuration dialog closes. Marks are inserted in the error log at the interval you've specified, indicating that the Network Event Log is monitoring operations.


How to Log Errors to a Remote Host

1.	Double-click the Network Event Log icon.

The Network Event Log starts and its dialog box opens.

2.	Open the Display menu and choose Configure.

The Network Event Log Configuration dialog box opens.

3.	Select an error severity level in the Hosts panel of the Network Event Log Configuration dialog box.

Note: To receive error messages, the host must be running the syslogd daemon.

4.	Select Log Messages to Host

An "X" appears in the Log Messages to Host check box and the host name text box is activated.

5.	Enter the name of a host machine running the syslogd program in the host name text box.

6.	Choose Save.

The Network Event Log Configuration dialog closes. System errors are forwarded to the host you've specified. Errors are displayed on the remote host according to how syslogd is configured on that host.

7.	Minimize the Network Event Log window.

The utility continues to log errors and forward them to the remote host.

See Also:

How to Set Reported Error levels


How to Log Windows Sockets Messages and Errors

1.	Start a SolarNet function that uses Windows Sockets, such as Network Statistics.

The Winsock icon appears in the lower-left corner of the desktop.

2.	Click the Winsock icon to open its control menu.

The icon's control menu opens.

3 	Enable Logging in the control menu.

A check mark appears next to this menu item, and Windows Sockets messages and errors are sent to the Network Event Log.


Network Event Log Configuration

View procedures by choosing one of the following topics:

Setting Reported Error Levels

Copying the Error Log to the Clipboard

Logging Errors to a Syslog File

How to Insert Marks In the Log

Logging Errors to a Remote Host


Troubleshooting Network Event Log Problems

Problem	Possible Causes	Solution
Another application is using the clipboard.	Another windows application is writing to the clipboard. Only one application can write to the clipboard at a time.	Wait a minute and try it again. Close other Windows applications and try again.
Not enough memory to copy to clipboard.	You might be running too many Windows applications.	Close some Windows applications and try to copy to the clipboard again.
Error writing to output file.	You tried to save error log information in a read-only file.	Make sure the file is not read-only and try again, or select another file.
Invalid forwarding host.	You tried to forward error log information to a remote host that is either not working or not running a syslogd daemon.	Use Ping to make sure you can reach the remote computer. If the forwarding host is a UNIX computer, use the following command to see if the syslogd daemon is running: ps -ef | grep syslogd You should see a line similar to the following: root 154 1 80 May 15 ? 0:02 /usr/sbin/syslogd Ask your network administrator for the name of a host running the syslogd daemon.