Logging Application, Server, and Security Events

Windows event logs allow your applications and components to record information about important events. You can use these records to audit access to your system, troubleshoot problems, and re-create usage patterns.

Using the EventLog component and language features in Visual Studio or the .NET Framework, you can easily connect to Windows event logs on both local and remote computers and write entries to these logs. You can also read entries from existing logs and create your own custom event logs on computers that have Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0 installed.

In This Section

• Introduction to the EventLog Component
  Provides basic information on event log features.

• Administering Event Logs
  Suggests additional topics on deleting event logs and performing administrative tasks on event logs.

• How to: Create EventLog Component Instances
  Gives directions for creating and configuring EventLog component instances in your projects.

• How to: Write Entries to Event Logs
  Gives directions for configuring your component to write entries to event logs.

• How to: Read Event Log Entries
  Gives directions for reading event log entries.

• How to: Handle the EntryWritten Event
  Describes how to create event handlers for your EventLog components that automatically call a procedure when an entry is written to a log.

• Security Ramifications of Event Logs
  Describes the effects of event log interactions on application security.

Topic	Location
Walkthrough: Exploring Event Logs, Event Sources, and Entries	Server Components in Visual Studio
How to: Work with Event Logs in Server Explorer	Server Components in Visual Studio
Walkthrough: Exploring Event Logs, Event Sources, and Entries	Server Components in Visual Studio
How to: Work with Event Logs in Server Explorer	Server Components in Visual Studio
Walkthrough: Exploring Event Logs, Event Sources, and Entries	Server Components in Visual Studio
How to: Work with Event Logs in Server Explorer	Server Components in Visual Studio

Reference

• EventLog class
  This class provides interaction with Windows event logs.

Related Sections

• EventLog Programming Architecture
  Describes the language elements used in EventLog component programming.

• Programming with Components
  Presents a high-level overview of component programming and authoring.

• Using Installation Components
  Describes how to use the Add Installer link in the Properties window to add an installation component to applications with EventLog component instances.

• Default Project Templates in Visual Studio
  Describes the projects types used in this chapter and how to choose between them.

• Deploying Applications and Components
  Lists the major Help pages about deployment and the information they contain.