BPM 5 Service Logging

 

Each of the Services in BPM5 generates logging information which is then output to various locations where the information can be read by various interfaces.  For example, the Process Engine generates information which can then be read in the Activity Properties of BPM Admin.  Alternatively, the Notification Service logs information stored in the Event Log: BsNotificationService.

 

However, different Runtime Environments require different levels of Logging: in a Development environment, you may want to capture all available information, but in Production, where you want to dedicate more resources to successfully executing processes, you may only want to log warnings and errors.  Alternatively, you may want to output logging information only to an Event Log and suppress the creation of log files in your implementation.

 

By updating the configuration file for each Service, you can control the amount of information being logged by that Service or where to output the Service's log information, such as to an Event Log or Log File or both.  BPM5 leverages the Microsoft Logging Application Block to control three basic elements of logging: what information is logged; how the logged information is formatted; and where that information is output, if at all.  Each of these three elements can be configured within their respective sections of a Service's configuration file.  Below is a table relating each Service to its respective Outputs.  File Location is the directory where the configuration file and log file are located; by combining the two columns, you can locate the file.  For example, the Task Service configuration file for a default installation location is: C:\Program Files\Bluespring BPM 5\TaskService\Bluespring.TaskService.exe.config.  Event Logs are accessible within your BPM5 Server's Event Viewer.

 

Service Name	File Location	Configuration File Name	Log File Name	Event Log Name	Additional Output
Bluespring Workspace Service	<Install Location>\Bluespring BPM 5\Workspace	Bluespring.WorkspaceService.exe.config	Bluespring.WorkspaceService.[yyyy-MM-dd].log	BsWorkspaceService
Bluespring View Service	<Install Location>\Bluespring BPM 5\ViewService	Bluespring.ViewService.exe.config	Bluespring.ViewService.[yyyy-MM-dd].log	BsViewService
Bluespring Task Service	<Install Location>\Bluespring BPM 5\TaskService	Bluespring.TaskService.exe.config	Bluespring.TaskService.[yyyy-MM-dd].log	BsTaskService
Bluespring SharePoint Service	<Install Location>\Bluespring BPM 5\SharePoint	Bluespring.SharePointService.exe.config	Bluespring.SharePointService.[yyyy-MM-dd].log	BsSharePointService
Bluespring Scheduling Service	<Install Location>\Bluespring BPM 5\SchedulingService	Bluespring.SchedulingService.exe.config	Bluespring.SchedulingService.[yyyy-MM-dd].log	BsSchedulingService
Bluespring Process Engine	<Install Location>\Bluespring BPM 5\ProcessEngine	Bluespring.ProcessEngine.exe.config	Bluespring.ProcessEngine.[yyyy-MM-dd].log	BsProcessEngine	BPM Admin, via Bluespring.ProcessEngine.MsmqLog
			Bluespring.ProcessEngine.Activity.[yyyy-MM-dd].log
Bluespring Notification Service	<Install Location>\Bluespring BPM 5\NotificationService	Bluespring.NotificationService.exe.config	Bluespring.NotificationService.[yyyy-MM-dd].log	BsNotificationService
Bluespring File Monitor	<Install Location>\Bluespring BPM 5\FileMonitor	Bluespring.FileMonitorService.exe.config	Bluespring.FileMonitorService.[yyyy-MM-dd].log	BsFileMonitorService
Bluespring Command Service	<Install Location>\Bluespring BPM 5\CommandService	Bluespring.CommandService.exe.config	Bluespring.CommandService.[yyyy-MM-dd].log	BsCmdService

 

 

The topics discussing the configuration of each of the three elements of logging contain specific information regarding the settings within a Configuration file, related to logging.

We also have examples of updating configuration files for realistic scenarios

1. Limit BPM Admin Logging to Errors Only
2. Prevent Creation of Log Files on a Production Server

Each BPM5 Service uses the Logging Application Block to control what information is logged, how to format the information being logged and what log information is available for review.  To change the information being logged or prevent the creation of a log file, update the configuration file for a particular Service.  Because configuration files are XML, they are case sensitive, so you should make sure to create a copy of the default configuration file before making any changes, providing you with a recovery point.

 

Each Service has its own configuration file, so to prevent the creation of any log files on a particular BPM 5 server, you will need to update the configuration file for all Services installed on the server.  In general, each Service has 3 different logging outputs: the Console (Bluespring does not recommend making changes to the Console), the Event Log and the Log File.  The Process Engine also includes 2 more outputs: the Logger Message Queue, which ensures log information is available in BPM Admin via the Activity Log in the Activity Properties; and the Activity Log File, which contains the same logging information as BPM Admin only in a file format, allowing you to search across Activities for the same information.

 

Note: Configuration files are deleted when a Service is uninstalled from a Server.  Because the standard upgrade of BPM5 to a new Service Pack involves uninstalling the Services before installing newer versions and newer versions of BPM5 may include new settings within these files, Bluespring recommends tracking the changes made to any configuration files to update the logging and including these updates any time you update the Services for a particular environment.  So, after completing the installation to upgrade the BPM5 Task Service from SP5 to SP6 on your production server, you will want to update the file: Bluespring.TaskService.exe.config to comment out the Listener for the Log File, instead of using the configuration file you have already updated for SP5.