FTP Log Files <logFile>

Overview

The <logFile> element is used to configure the activity logging options for an FTP site.

For example, you can enable or disable logging, specify the categories of information to store in the log file, and change the directory where the log file is stored. You can also use the <logFile> element to control how often IIS creates a new log file based either on log file size or time interval and the maximum size (in bytes) that a log file can become.

Note: Unlike Web sites that can use the IIS, NCSA, or W3C format for log files, the FTP 7 service only stores log files in W3C format.

You can define the categories of information that IIS logs by editing the logExtFileFlags attribute. The default values are Date, Time, ClientIP, UserName, ServerIP, Method, UriStem, FtpStatus, Win32Status, FtpSubStatus, ServerPort, Session, and FullPath.

Compatibility

Version Notes
IIS 7.5 The <logFile> element of the <ftpServer> element ships as a feature of IIS 7.5.
IIS 7.0 The <logFile> element of the <ftpServer> element was introduced in FTP 7.0, which was a separate download for IIS 7.0.
IIS 6.0 N/A

Note: The FTP 7.0 and FTP 7.5 services shipped out-of-band for IIS 7.0, which required downloading and installing the modules from the following URL:

http://www.iis.net/expand/FTP

With Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the FTP 7.5 service ships as a feature for IIS 7.5, so downloading the FTP service is no longer necessary.

Setup

To support FTP publishing for your Web server, you must install the FTP service. To do so, use the following steps.

IIS 7.5 for Windows Server 2008 R2

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Server Manager.
  2. In the Server Manager hierarchy pane, expand Roles, and then click Web Server (IIS).
  3. In the Web Server (IIS) pane, scroll to the Role Services section, and then click Add Role Services.
  4. On the Select Role Services page of the Add Role Services Wizard, expand FTP Server.
  5. Select FTP Service.

    Note: To support ASP.Membership authentication or IIS Manager authentication for the FTP service, you will also need to select FTP Extensibility.
  6. Click Next.
  7. On the Confirm Installation Selections page, click Install.
  8. On the Results page, click Close.

IIS 7.5 for Windows 7

  1. On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  2. In Control Panel, click Programs and Features, and then click Turn Windows Features on or off.
  3. Expand Internet Information Services, and then FTP Server.
  4. Select FTP Service.

    Note: To support ASP.Membership authentication or IIS Manager authentication for the FTP service, you will also need to select FTP Extensibility.
  5. Click OK.

IIS 7.0 for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista

  1. Download the installation package from the following URL:
  2. Follow the instructions in the following walkthrough to install the FTP service:

How To

How to configure logging options for an FTP site

  1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager:
    • If you are using Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2:
      • On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
    • If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7:
      • On the taskbar, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
      • Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
  2. In the Connections pane, expand the server name, and then go to the site where you want to configure logging.
  3. In the Home pane, double-click FTP Logging.
  4. In the Log File Rollover section, click Select W3C Fields...
  5. Select the fields for your log files, then click OK.
  6. Under Directory, specify the path where the log file should be stored. The default is %SystemDrive%\inetpub\logs\LogFiles.
  7. In the Log File Rollover section, specify the following options:
    • Schedule: to create new log file that are based on one of the following values:
      • Hourly: a new log file is created each hour.
      • Daily: a new log file is created each day.
      • Weekly: a new log file is created each week.
      • Monthly: a new log file is created each month.
    • Maximum file size (in bytes): to create a new log file when the file reaches a certain size (in bytes). The minimum file size is 1048576 bytes. If this attribute is set to a value less than 1048576 bytes, the default value is implicitly assumed as 1048576 bytes.
    • Do not create a new log file: there is a single log file that will continue to grow as information is logged.
    • Select Use local time for file naming and rollover to specify that log file naming and time for log file rollover uses the local server time. When this is not selected, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is used.
  8. Click Apply in the Actions pane.

Configuration

Attributes

Attribute Description
directory Optional string attribute.

Specifies the logging directory, where the log file and logging-related support files are stored.

The default value is %SystemDrive%\inetpub\logs\LogFiles.
enabled Optional Boolean attribute.

true if logging is enabled; otherwise false.

The default value is true.
localTimeRollover Optional Boolean attribute.

true if the a new log file is created based on local time; otherwise, false for Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which was previously called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Note: Regardless of the setting, the time stamp for each W3C Extended Logging log record is UTC-based.

The default value is false.
logExtFileFlags Optional flags attribute.

Specifies the categories of information that are written to either the log file (when you use W3C Extended log file format) or to the ODBC data source during logging events for a site. The logExtFileFlags attribute can be one or more of the following values. If you specify more than one value, separate them with a comma (,).

The default values are Date, Time, ClientIP, UserName, ServerIP, Method, UriStem, FtpStatus, Win32Status, FtpSubStatus, ServerPort, Session, and FullPath.
Value Description
BytesRecv Log the number of bytes that the server received.

The numeric value is 8192.
BytesSent Log the number of bytes that the server sent.

The numeric value is 4096.
ClientIP Log the IP address of the client that made the request.

The numeric value is 4.
ClientPort Log the port of the client that made the request.

The numeric value is 33554432.
ComputerName Log the name of the server on which the log file entry was generated.

The numeric value is 32.
Date Log the date on which the activity occurred.

The numeric value is 1.
FtpStatus Log the FTP status code.

The numeric value is 1024.
FtpSubStatus Log the sub-status code of the FTP error.

The numeric value is 2097152.
FullPath Log the full relative path. Note: This may be different URI that the client requested, which is logged by setting the UriStem flag.

The numeric value is 8388608.
Host Log the virtual host name, if there is one.

The numeric value is 1048576.
Info Log extended debugging information, if there is any.

The numeric value is 16777216.
Method Log the requested action. For example, USER , PASS, etc.

The numeric value is 128.
ServerIP Log the IP address of the server on which the log file entry was generated.

The numeric value is 64.
ServerPort Log the server port number that is configured for the site.

The numeric value is 32768.
Session Log the unique identifier for the FTP session. This is useful for analyzing session activity in your logs.

The numeric value is 4194304.
SiteName Log the Internet service name and instance number for the site.

The numeric value is 16.
Time Log the time in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), at which the activity occurred.

The numeric value is 2.
TimeTaken Log the length of time taken for a request to be completed. The time taken is recorded in milliseconds.

The numeric value is 16384.
UriStem Log the Universal Resource Identifier (URI) stem information, which is the target of the action. Note: This shows the URI steam exactly as the client requested, which may not be the full relative path. For the full relative path, use the FullPath flag.

The numeric value is 256.
UserName Log the name of the authenticated user who accessed your server. Anonymous users are indicated by a hyphen.

The numeric value is 8.
Win32Status Log the Windows status code.

The numeric value is 2048.
period Optional enum attribute.

Specifies how often the FTP service creates a new log file. The period attribute can be one of the following possible values.

The default value is Daily.
Value Description
Daily Create a new log file daily.

The numeric value is 1.
Hourly Create a new log file hourly.

The numeric value is 4.
MaxSize Create a new log file when a maximum size is reached. The maximum size is specified in the truncateSize attribute.

The numeric value is 0.
Monthly Create a new log file monthly.

The numeric value is 3.
Weekly Create a new log file weekly.

The numeric value is 2.
selectiveLogging Optional flags attribute.

Specifies the verbosity for FTP logging.

The default value is LogSuccessful,LogError,LogInfrastructure.
Value Description
LogError Specifies that errors will be logged. The amount of data actually logged also depends on the setting of LogInfrastructure flag.

The numeric value is 2.
LogInfrastructure Specifies that all FTP commands and low-level data channel activity will be logged. For example, the logs will contain entries for DataChannelOpened, DataChannelClosed, PORT/EPRT, PASV/EPSV, if the LogInfrastructure flag is set.

The numeric value is 4.
LogSuccessful Specifies that successful activity will be logged. The amount of data actually logged also depends on the setting of LogInfrastructure flag.

The numeric value is 1.
truncateSize Optional int64 attribute.

Specifies the maximum size of the log file (in bytes) after which to create a new log file. This value is only applicable when MaxSize is chosen for the period attribute. The minimum file size is 1,048,576 bytes. If this attribute is set to a value less than 1,048,576 bytes, the default value is implicitly assumed as 1,048,576 bytes.

The default value is 20971520.

Child Elements

None.

Configuration Sample

The following configuration example shows an FTP with custom logging options that specify that infrastructure commands will not be logged, log files will be rotated on a daily basis, and the additional debugging option has been added to the default fields.

<site name="ftp.example.com" id="5">
   <application path="/">
      <virtualDirectory path="/" physicalPath="c:\inetpub\www.example.com" />
   </application>
   <bindings>
      <binding protocol="ftp" bindingInformation="*:21:" />
   </bindings>
   <ftpServer serverAutoStart="true">
      <security>
          <authentication>
            <basicAuthentication enabled="true" />
            <anonymousAuthentication enabled="false" />
          </authentication>
      </security>
      <logFile period="Daily"
         logExtFileFlags="Date, Time, ClientIP, UserName, ServerIP, Method, UriStem, FtpStatus, Win32Status, ServerPort, FtpSubStatus, Session, FullPath, Info"
         selectiveLogging="LogSuccessful, LogError" />
   </ftpServer>
</site>

Sample Code

The following examples illustrate enabling logging for an FTP site, configuring the log file directory for an FTP site for a specific path, and specifying daily log file recycling.

AppCmd.exe

appcmd.exe set config -section:system.applicationHost/sites /[name='ftp.example.com'].ftpServer.logFile.directory:"C:\logs\LogFiles" /commit:apphost

appcmd.exe set config -section:system.applicationHost/sites /[name='ftp.example.com'].ftpServer.logFile.period:"Daily" /commit:apphost

appcmd.exe set config -section:system.applicationHost/sites /[name='ftp.example.com'].ftpServer.logFile.enabled:"True" /commit:apphost

Note: You must be sure to set the commit parameter to apphost when you use AppCmd.exe to configure these settings. This commits the configuration settings to the appropriate location section in the ApplicationHost.config file.

C#

using System;
using System.Text;
using Microsoft.Web.Administration;

internal static class Sample
{
   private static void Main()
   {
      using (ServerManager serverManager = new ServerManager())
      {
         Configuration config = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration();
         ConfigurationSection sitesSection = config.GetSection("system.applicationHost/sites");
         ConfigurationElementCollection sitesCollection = sitesSection.GetCollection();

         ConfigurationElement siteElement = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", "name", @"ftp.example.com");
         if (siteElement == null) throw new InvalidOperationException("Element not found!");

         ConfigurationElement ftpServerElement = siteElement.GetChildElement("ftpServer");
         ConfigurationElement logFileElement = ftpServerElement.GetChildElement("logFile");
         logFileElement["directory"] = @"C:\logs\LogFiles";
         logFileElement["period"] = @"Daily";
         logFileElement["enabled"] = true;

         serverManager.CommitChanges();
      }
   }

   private static ConfigurationElement FindElement(ConfigurationElementCollection collection, string elementTagName, params string[] keyValues)
   {
      foreach (ConfigurationElement element in collection)
      {
         if (String.Equals(element.ElementTagName, elementTagName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
         {
            bool matches = true;
            for (int i = 0; i < keyValues.Length; i += 2)
            {
               object o = element.GetAttributeValue(keyValues[i]);
               string value = null;
               if (o != null)
               {
                  value = o.ToString();
               }
               if (!String.Equals(value, keyValues[i + 1], StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
               {
                  matches = false;
                  break;
               }
            }
            if (matches)
            {
               return element;
            }
         }
      }
      return null;
   }
}

VB.NET

Imports System
Imports System.Text
Imports Microsoft.Web.Administration

Module Sample
   Sub Main()
      Dim serverManager As ServerManager = New ServerManager
      Dim config As Configuration = serverManager.GetApplicationHostConfiguration
      Dim sitesSection As ConfigurationSection = config.GetSection("system.applicationHost/sites")
      Dim sitesCollection As ConfigurationElementCollection = sitesSection.GetCollection
      Dim siteElement As ConfigurationElement = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", "name", "ftp.example.com")

      If (siteElement Is Nothing) Then
         Throw New InvalidOperationException("Element not found!")
      End If

      Dim ftpServerElement As ConfigurationElement = siteElement.GetChildElement("ftpServer")
      Dim logFileElement As ConfigurationElement = ftpServerElement.GetChildElement("logFile")
      logFileElement("directory") = "C:\logs\LogFiles"
      logFileElement("period") = "Daily"
      logFileElement("enabled") = True

      serverManager.CommitChanges()
   End Sub

   Private Function FindElement(ByVal collection As ConfigurationElementCollection, ByVal elementTagName As String, ByVal ParamArray keyValues() As String) As ConfigurationElement
      For Each element As ConfigurationElement In collection
         If String.Equals(element.ElementTagName, elementTagName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then
            Dim matches As Boolean = True
            Dim i As Integer
            For i = 0 To keyValues.Length - 1 Step 2
               Dim o As Object = element.GetAttributeValue(keyValues(i))
               Dim value As String = Nothing
               If (Not (o) Is Nothing) Then
                  value = o.ToString
               End If
               If Not String.Equals(value, keyValues((i + 1)), StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then
                  matches = False
                  Exit For
               End If
            Next
            If matches Then
               Return element
            End If
         End If
      Next
      Return Nothing
   End Function

End Module

JavaScript

var adminManager = new ActiveXObject('Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager');
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST";
var sitesSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.applicationHost/sites", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST");
var sitesCollection = sitesSection.Collection;
var siteElementPos = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", ["name", "ftp.example.com"]);

if (siteElementPos == -1) throw "Element not found!";
var siteElement = sitesCollection.Item(siteElementPos);

var ftpServerElement = siteElement.ChildElements.Item("ftpServer");
var logFileElement = ftpServerElement.ChildElements.Item("logFile");
logFileElement.Properties.Item("directory").Value = "C:\\logs\\LogFiles";
logFileElement.Properties.Item("period").Value = "Daily";
logFileElement.Properties.Item("enabled").Value = true;

adminManager.CommitChanges();

function FindElement(collection, elementTagName, valuesToMatch) {
   for (var i = 0; i < collection.Count; i++) {
      var element = collection.Item(i);
      if (element.Name == elementTagName) {
         var matches = true;
         for (var iVal = 0; iVal < valuesToMatch.length; iVal += 2) {
            var property = element.GetPropertyByName(valuesToMatch[iVal]);
            var value = property.Value;
            if (value != null) {
               value = value.toString();
            }
            if (value != valuesToMatch[iVal + 1]) {
               matches = false;
               break;
            }
         }
         if (matches) {
            return i;
         }
      }
   }
   return -1;
}

VBScript

Set adminManager = createObject("Microsoft.ApplicationHost.WritableAdminManager")
adminManager.CommitPath = "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST"

Set sitesSection = adminManager.GetAdminSection("system.applicationHost/sites", "MACHINE/WEBROOT/APPHOST")
Set sitesCollection = sitesSection.Collection
siteElementPos = FindElement(sitesCollection, "site", Array("name", "ftp.example.com"))

If siteElementPos = -1 Then
Wscript.Echo "Element not found!"
WScript.Quit
End If

Set siteElement = sitesCollection.Item(siteElementPos)
Set ftpServerElement = siteElement.ChildElements.Item("ftpServer")
Set logFileElement = ftpServerElement.ChildElements.Item("logFile")
logFileElement.Properties.Item("directory").Value = "C:\logs\LogFiles"
logFileElement.Properties.Item("period").Value = "Daily"
logFileElement.Properties.Item("enabled").Value = true

adminManager.CommitChanges()

Function FindElement(collection, elementTagName, valuesToMatch)
   For i = 0 To CInt(collection.Count) - 1
      Set element = collection.Item(i)
      If element.Name = elementTagName Then
         matches = True
         For iVal = 0 To UBound(valuesToMatch) Step 2
            Set property = element.GetPropertyByName(valuesToMatch(iVal))
            value = property.Value
            If Not IsNull(value) Then
               value = CStr(value)
            End If
            If Not value = CStr(valuesToMatch(iVal + 1)) Then
               matches = False
               Exit For
            End If
         Next
         If matches Then
            Exit For
         End If
      End If
   Next
   If matches Then
      FindElement = i
   Else
      FindElement = -1
   End If
End Function
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