Change Logging Levels for Exchange Processes

  • Article

[This is pre-release documentation and subject to change in future releases. This topic's current status is: Writing Not Started.]

Applies to: Exchange Server 2010 Beta

This topic explains how to use the Exchange Management Shell and the Registry Editor to change the diagnostic logging level for Exchange Server processes to assist with troubleshooting issues that may occur in an Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 environment.

The possible logging levels that you can set are: 0 (Lowest), 1 (Low), 3 (Medium), 5 (High), and 7 (Expert). The default logging level is 0 (Lowest). You should always return the logging level to the default setting after completing your troubleshooting activities.

Changing the process logging level for a given process may not yield additional events in the event log. Many variables affect whether a change to the process logging level setting will increase the number of events. These variables include, but are not limited to, the actions being performed by the process and the number of events implemented in the source code for the logging level selected.

Before You Begin

To perform the following procedures, the account you use must be delegated the following:

  • Membership in the local Administrator group

For more information about permissions, delegating roles, and the rights that are required to administer Exchange Server 2007, see Important: Update for Permissions in Exchange 2010.

Procedure

To use the Exchange Management Shell to identify Exchange processes with configurable logging levels and their current settings

  1. Start the Exchange Management Shell.

  2. Identify the processes and their current logging level by typing the following command:

    Get-EventLogLevel

To use the Exchange Management Shell to change the logging level for an Exchange process

  1. Start the Exchange Management Shell.

  2. Identify the current logging level by typing the following command:

    Get-EventLogLevel <process>

    Replace <process> with the name of the actual service or process.

  3. Change the logging level by typing the following command:

    Set-EventLogLevel <process> -Level <level>

  4. Verify that the logging level has been changed by typing the following command:

    Get-EventLogLevel <process>

    Replace <level> with the level word or number. For example:

    Set-EventLogLevel MSExchangeMU\General -Level 5

    Note

    Processes that have spaces in their names, like MSExchangeIS\9002 System\Virus Scanning, must be enclosed in quotation marks. For example: "MSExchangeIS\9002 System\Virus Scanning"

    Note

    You can get additional information about a process by adding the "|fl" variable, without quotation marks, to the get command. For example:
    Get-EventLogLevel <process> |fl

    Note

    Set the logging level back to the default level after you complete your troubleshooting activities.

To use the Registry Editor to change the logging level for an Exchange process

  1. Start the Registry Editor (regedit).

    Warning

    Incorrectly editing the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Problems resulting from editing the registry incorrectly may not be able to be resolved. Before editing the registry, back up any valuable data.

  2. Locate the following registry key: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeMU\Diagnostics

  3. In the details pane, change the Value data of the General key to the new value.

  4. Exit the Registry Editor.

    Note

    Set the logging level back to the default level after you complete your troubleshooting activities.

For More Information

For a list of the Exchange 2007 processes for which logging levels are configurable, see Processes with Configurable Event Logging Levels.

For more information about the Get-EventLogLevel cmdlet, see Get-EventLogLevel.

For more information about the Set-EventLogLevel cmdlet, see Set-EventLogLevel.