STS: How to Turn on Global Logging for SharePoint Team Services

You can enable global logging on a server running SharePoint Team Services from Microsoft to troubleshoot the following issues: notifications, database backups, server health, and usage processing running on a regular schedule. The "More Information" section of this article explains how to turn on global logging.

NOTE: The log file can grow large very quickly, depending on how many servers are running SharePoint Team Services.

To enable global logging on a server running SharePoint Team Services, follow these steps.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1. Manually create the directory where you want the log file to be stored (for example, C:\ows_logs).
2. Click Start, point to Run, and then type regedit in the Open box.
3. Expand the tree to the following key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Web Server
4. Right-click Web Server.
5. Select New Key, and then name the key common.
6. Right-click common, and then select New String.
7. Set the Value Name = timerlogfile.
8. Double-click timerlogfile.
9. In the Value data edit box, type the path to the directory that you created earlier, including the file name of the log that you want to be created (for example, C:\ows_logs\ows.log).
10. Right-click common, and then select New DWORD Value.
11. Set the Value Name = timerloglevel.
12. Set Value = 1.
13. Quit the registry.
14. Open a command prompt, type net stop sptimer, and then press ENTER.
15. Type net start sptimer, and then press ENTER.
16. Close the command prompt.

The timer service is now restarted. The service is displayed as SharePoint Timer Service.

NOTE: DWORD VALUES:

DWORD Value 0 = no log
DWORD Value 1 = logging enabled
DWORD Value 2 = verbose logging enabled

NOTE: Global logging is different from the FrontPage Server Extensions author logging, which logs authoring transactions. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: