Article ID: 242898 - Last Review: July 3, 2008 - Revision: 7.1

IIS Log File Naming Syntax

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This article was previously published under Q242898
We strongly recommend that all users upgrade to Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) version 7.0 running on Microsoft Windows Server 2008. IIS 7.0 significantly increases Web infrastructure security. For more information about IIS security-related topics, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/prodtech/IIS.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/prodtech/IIS.mspx)
For more information about IIS 7.0, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.iis.net/default.aspx?tabid=1 (http://www.iis.net/default.aspx?tabid=1)
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SUMMARY

Internet Information Server (IIS) version 4.0 and Internet Information Services versions 5.0 and later support the following log file formats:
  • Microsoft IIS Log Format
  • National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Common Log File Format
  • World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Extended Log File Format
  • ODBC Logging
This article describes the naming syntax used when Internet Information Services creates log files.
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MORE INFORMATION

The following tables list the log file intervals and file names for each available for each log file format using the following syntax:
  • nn = Sequential Digits
  • yy = Year
  • mm = Month
  • ww = Week
  • dd = Day
  • hh = Hour (24-hour format)

Microsoft IIS Log Format

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Log IntervalFilename Pattern
File Sizeinetsvnn.log
Hourlyinyymmddhh.log
Dailyinyymmdd.log
Weeklyinyymmww.log
Monthlyinyymm.log

NCSA Common Log File Format

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File Sizencsann.log
Hourlyncyymmddhh.log
Dailyncyymmdd.log
Weeklyncyymmww.log
Monthlyncyymm.log

W3C Extended Log File Format

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File Sizeextendnn.log
Hourlyexyymmddhh.log
Dailyexyymmdd.log
Weeklyexyymmww.log
Monthlyexyymm.log

For information about formatting and about the required steps for ODBC logging, see the "About Logging Activity" topic in IIS Help.

IIS 6.0 also supports centralized binary logging. Centralized binary logging is the process by which multiple Web sites write binary, unformatted log data to a single log file. When enabled, all Web sites on your Web server that run IIS write log data to a single log file.

The following file format is used for centralized binary logging:

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Hourlyrawyymmddhh.ibl
Dailyrawyymmdd.ibl
Weeklyrawyymmww.ibl
Monthlyrawyymm.ibl
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REFERENCES

For more information about centralized binary logging and the other logging formats in IIS 6.0 that are discussed in the product documentation, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/WindowsServer2003/Library/IIS/13a4c0b5-686b-4766-8729-a3402da835f1.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/WindowsServer2003/Library/IIS/13a4c0b5-686b-4766-8729-a3402da835f1.mspx)
For additional information about how you can access the product documentation through the IIS Manager, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
815127  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/815127/EN-US/ ) How To: Access IIS 6.0 Help Documentation
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0
  • Microsoft Internet Information Services 5.0
  • Microsoft Internet Information Services 6.0
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Keywords: 
kbhowto KB242898
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