HOW TO: Configure Routing and Remote Access Tracing in Windows Server 2003

This step-by-step article describes how to configure tracing for Routing and Remote Access components in Microsoft Windows Server 2003.


When you want to monitor the activities of Routing and Remote Access and dial-up networking components, use the tracing functionality to configure Routing and Remote Access and dial-up-networking components to log tracing information to a file.

You can use and analyze the information that is logged in the files to help you troubleshoot network connectivity issues. You can make Routing and Remote Access and dial-up networking tracing available by either editing the registry or by using the netsh command.

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Configure Tracing By Using the Registry

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.

Turn On Tracing

To configure Routing and Remote Access and dial-up networking components to log tracing information to a file, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click
   Run.
2. In the Open box, type
   regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate, and then click the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing
   
   
   Note The components that you can configure tracing for are listed as subkeys under this key.
4. Turn on tracing for the component that you want. To do so, follow these steps:
   
   1. In the left pane, click the subkey that represents the component that you want to turn on tracing for.
      
      For example, to turn on tracing for Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP), click
      RASCHAP.
   2. In the right pane, double-click
      EnableFileTracing.
   3. Type 1 in the Value data box, and then click OK.
   By default, Routing and Remote Access activity is recorded to a Component.log file in the %SystemRoot%\Tracing folder, where Component is the name of the Routing and Remote Access component.
5. If you want to change the default log file settings, complete any of the following procedures:
   
   • To change the default location of the tracing files, double-click FileDirectory, type the location where you want to save the log files for example, c:\rraslogs, and then click
     OK.
   • To change the level of tracing information that is logged to the file, double-click FileTracingMask, type the appropriate value in the Value data box, and then click
     OK.
   • To change the maximum size limit of the log file, double-click MaxFileSize, type the appropriate value in the
     Value data box, and then click OK.
     
6. To quit Registry Editor, on the File menu, click Exit.

Note Routing and Remote Access tracing uses system resources and hard disk space. After you capture the trace or identify the issue, make sure that you turn off tracing.

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Turn Off Tracing

To turn off tracing for a Routing and Remote Access or a dial-up networking component, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click
   Run.
2. In the Open box, type
   regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate, and then click the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Tracing
   
4. In the left pane, click
   Component, where
   Component is the subkey that represents the component that you want to turn off tracing for.
   
   For example, to turn off tracing for the Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI), click
   RASTAPI.
5. In the right pane, double-click
   EnableFileTracing, type 0 in the
   Value data box, and then click OK.
   

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Configure Tracing By Using the Netsh Command

To configure by using the netsh command:

Turn On Tracing

To configure Routing and Remote Access and dial-up-networking components to log tracing information to a file, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click
   Command Prompt.
2. At the command prompt, type the following line where
   component is the Routing and Remote Access or the dial-up-networking component that want to make tracing available for, and then press ENTER:
   netsh ras set tracing component enable
   
   
   For example, to make Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) tracing available, type the following line, and then press ENTER:
   netsh ras set tracing ppp enable

By default, Routing and Remote Access activity is recorded to a
Component.log file in the %SystemRoot%\Tracing folder, where Component is the name of the component that tracing is available for.

Note Routing and Remote Access tracing uses system resources and hard disk space. After you capture the trace or identify the issue, make sure that you turn off tracing.

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View A List of Components where Tracing Is Available

To display a list that shows whether tracing is available for Routing and Remote Access and the dial-up-networking components on your computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to
   Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
2. At the command prompt, type the following line, and then press ENTER:
   netsh ras show tracing
   
   
   A list of Routing and Remote Access and dial-up-networking components and their tracing settings appears.

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Turn Off Tracing

To make tracing unavailable for Routing and Remote Access or a dial-up-networking component, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to
   Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
2. At the command prompt, type the following line, where
   component is the Routing and Remote Access or dial-up-networking component that you want to make tracing unavailable for, and then press ENTER:
   netsh ras set tracing component disable
   For example, to make tracing unavailable for TAPI, type the following line, and then press ENTER:
   netsh ras set tracing rastapi disable

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