error Logs and Displays in Software

Encoder PDF417 in Software error Logs and Displays

Similar to the error display is the error log, which maintains a listing of errors encountered on a device This error log should contain the time the problem occurred, the nature of the problem, and quite possibly the procedure for resolving the problem Unfortunately, error logs usually don t contain enough information to solve a problem, and you must consult documentation to diagnose and resolve it However, error logging is important because it can help you determine when the problem occurred, what might have caused the problem, and what other processes are affected by this problem Often, error displays give a visual alert of the problem and log the error into the error log for future reference Many entries in the error log are not critical-stop errors Some entries are warnings that do not currently indicate a problem but are worthy of your attention Other entries, such as those indicating when the computer was restarted or when a service started or stopped, are purely informative Windows-based operating systems such as Windows clients and Windows servers each have an error log mechanism called the Event Viewer that is critical to the diagnosis and resolution of problems within those operating systems It is recommended that you consult the Event Viewer during the troubleshooting process, watching for the critical, red-X error entries that have occurred The Event Viewer is an application that reads the binary log files stored in the <windows directory>\system32\config folder You will not need to go to the config folder to view the logs because the Event Viewer console retrieves the information from the files located in that folder for you There are three main types of logs within the Windows-based operating systems that you should monitor on a regular basis:

Records events that are provided by the Windows operating system and contains error messages that typically deal with device drivers failing to load, services failing to start, or general information about something that happens within the OS, such as purging a printer Contains all security-related events when auditing has been enabled If you have audited events such as the failure to log on, success or failure to access a file or folder, or the success of account management, this is where that information would be recorded

13:

Contains events that have been generated by applications that run on top of the operating system For example, if you install SQL Server or Exchange Server on the system, those applications typically record their errors in the application log

If you are having a problem with a Windows 2000/XP/2003 system, you can view one of three logs depending on the type of problem This exercise will show you how to view the system log for problems with the Windows Server 2003 network operating system 1 Go to Start | right-click My Computer and choose Manage 2 Expand out the Event Viewer by clicking the plus sign (+) to the left 3 To view the system log, click system on the left side You can see the contents of the system log on the right-hand side (as shown in the following illustration) In the illustration notice that there are errors (red X), warnings (yellow triangle), and information (blue i) events

4 To investigate a warning or error, double-click the entry to view the details 5 A dialog box opens and you will need to try to decipher the information presented Notice that you can see the date and time the event happened at the top of the dialog box, and you can see an error message at the bottom of the dialog box (as shown in the following illustration)