How To Enable Verbose Logging For Most SBS 2008 Wizards and Console

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[Today's post comes to us courtesy of Justin Crosby and Damian Leibaschoff]

In some scenarios you may want to increase the logging level for the SBS console and wizards.  This post will detail how to change the logging mode. In order to change the logging level of the console you must edit the following configuration file: C:Program FilesWindows Small Business ServerBinlogging.config.

  1. Close any SBS applications that may be using logging (like console.exe)

  2. Go to SBS bin directory and locate file called logging.config.

  3. Save a backup copy of this file and then open this file in notepad. You need to run notepad with elevated credentials since the bin directory is in program files and thus protected by UAC.

  4. Locate the <sources> and <predefinedsources> section of the file as seen below:

    Note the values highlighted below – this specifies the threshold for the logging levels:

    <sources>
      <add level="Information" name="General">
        <listeners>
          <add name="DefaultTraceListener" />
        </listeners>
      </add>
      <add level="Information" name="Antimalware Reporting">
        <listeners>
          <add name="DefaultTraceListener" />
        </listeners>
      </add>
      <add level="Information" name="Security Plugin Infrastructure">
        <listeners>
          <add name="DefaultTraceListener" />
        </listeners>
      </add>
      <add level="Information" name="Update Services">
        <listeners>
          <add name="DefaultTraceListener" />
        </listeners>
      </add>
    </sources>
    <predefinedsources>
      <unmatched level="Information" name="Unmatched">
        <listeners>
          <add name="DefaultTraceListener" />
        </listeners>
      </unmatched>
    </predefinedsources>

  5. Replace the level values (The “Information” value) with the desired value, such as “All”. This will enable verboselogging.These are the legal values:

    1. Off -> no logging entries goes through the filter
    2. All -> all logging entries go through the filter
    3. Critical -> only critical entries go through the filter
    4. Error -> only Critical and Errors would be logged
    5. Warning -> only Critical, Errors, and Warnings would be logged
    6. Information -> allows Critical, Errors, Warning, and Information events to be logged
    7. Verbose -> allows Critical, Error,  Warning, Information, and Verbose

Note: In most cases changing the level for General and Unmatched should give you the detail you want, but if you want it all change all 5.