Configuring the Asta Enterprise system to produce diagnostic 'trace' files
The Asta Enterprise system is complemented by a 'trace' service, the purpose of which is to gather diagnostic data and publish it to files to assist Elecosoft's Technical Support Department in tracking down issues. The trace service gathers diagnostic data from both the Enterprise server computer and from the computers on which client applications are installed.
The trace service can gather diagnostic data from the Enterprise server at four different levels of detail, and at one level only from client computers. You can set the trace service to different levels, or turn it off for the Enterprise server - and turn it on and off for client computers - using two Enterprise server commands. The trace service is set to level 1 by default for the Enterprise server, and level 0 (off) by default for client computers. If they need to obtain trace information from you in order to track down an issue, the Support Department will inform you which level of trace information they require you to use.
Specifying where trace files are saved
Trace files that relate to the Enterprise server are saved by default into a subfolder called TraceLogs within the folder in which the Enterprise server is installed. You can specify that the Enterprise server trace files are saved into a different folder by editing the following registry key on the computer on which the Enterprise server is installed, entering a folder path and name into the registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Asta\PowerProject Teamplan\1.0\Debug\TraceLogPath
Trace files that relate to client computers are saved by default on each individual client computer into a subfolder called TraceLogs within the user's Temp folder. You can specify that these trace files are saved into a different folder for all clients using an Enterprise server command, or for individual clients by editing a registry key on the client computer.
To specify that client computer trace files are saved into a different folder for all clients, enter clienttracepath <folder name> at the Enterprise server command prompt, where <folder name> is the path and folder in which you want the files to be saved. You should specify a shared folder to which all client computers have access, for example \\myserver\clienttrace\.
To specify that client computer trace files are saved into a different folder for a specific client computer, edit the following registry key on the client computer, entering a folder path and name into the registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Asta\PowerProject Teamplan\1.0\Debug\ClientTraceLogPath
Specifying the maximum size of client computer trace files
The default maximum size for each client computer trace file is 200Mb. Once a file reaches the maximum size, a new trace file is started. You can specify a different maximum size if required, by editing the following registry key, entering a number relating to the number of Mb you want to apply as the maximum size:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Asta\PowerProject Teamplan\1.0\Debug\ClientTraceFileSize
Edit this registry key on the computer on which the Enterprise server is installed to set a maximum file size for all client computers, or edit the key on the individual client computers to set a maximum file size for specific client computers.
Specifying the level at which diagnostic information is gathered
To set the level at which the trace service gathers information from the Enterprise server, enter tracelevel <trace level number> at the Enterprise server command prompt, where <trace level number> is a number from 1 to 4, representing the level to which you want to set the trace service. Set the level at 0 to turn the trace service off.
To turn the trace service on for all client computers, enter clienttracelevel 1 at the Enterprise server command prompt.
To turn the trace service off for all client computers, enter clienttracelevel 0 at the Enterprise server command prompt.
Note that each time you restart the Enterprise server, the trace level is reset to its default level.
To turn the trace service on or off for a specific client computer, edit the following registry key on the client computer, entering a value of 1 into the registry key to turn the service on and 0 to turn it off:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Asta\PowerProject Teamplan\1.0\Debug\ClientTraceLevel
Sending trace files to Elecosoft
If Elecosoft's Technical Support Department requests trace files from you, they will ask you to shut down your Enterprise server before copying the trace file(s) from the folder in which they have been saved and sending them to Elecosoft by email. This is to ensure that the trace files contain the most up to date information: the act of shutting down the Enterprise server updates the trace files. Once you have copied trace files and sent them to Elecosoft, you can restart your Enterprise server - remembering to reset the trace service to the appropriate level if required.