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Managing those growing Apache2 logs

Apache2 logs, at least on NetWare, grow for ever until you are out of room on the volume they are on (typically on SYS which means a hurting server). By default, SYS:\apache2\logs is where they hide, with there being two types of files; error_log.######## and access_log.########.
 

Access logs

On a busy web server, whether by direct browsing (static HTML, GW WebAccess, NetStorage) or for an application that used web technology under the covers (iFolder), these can grow by many MBs a day. While one option is to just stop logging, this means that you have no data available in the event of a problem or a security breach. So not logging would not be 'a good thing'.

Edit SYS:\apache2\rotate.ini to your desired settings. To just cap the space used, uncomment Delete, comment out Move and Compress, and set MaxFiles to the number that will allow you to keep the files at least long enough to be well backed up if needed for forensics. FYI for you calculations, the default maximum size of the files it 5MB, with shorter ones happening when Apache is restarted. That default can be changed in the Apache2\conf\httpd.conf file at the end of the line that starts with "CustomLog", where 5M means 5 MegaBytes, changing it to 2M would keep the files to 2 MegaBytes in size.

To activate this, run the command "perl sys:\apache2\rotate.pl sys:\apache2\rotate.ini" which can be automated with either cron, or Novell Remote Manager (serverIP:8008, Manage Server, Schedule Tasks, set a new task to either daily or weekly depending on how fast the logs grow, with that perl command)

Error logs

The error_logs should be checked regularly as they often your only sign of crackers and other hostile folks knocking at your door or even running around wild in your network.

If you are really tight for space on this volume, you can always make a separate copy of the rotate.ini (such as roterr.ini) to Move the files to a different volume where you can manage them at a more leisurely pace.


 

Last updated 2007-03-21

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