Netscape Proxy Server Eating Up Hard Drive Space

Kenn's
Tech
Notes

20001202: Netscape Proxy Server Eating Up Hard Drive Space

December/2000
Tech Note #2

Louis B recently discovered that Netscape Proxy Server keeps access and error logs and they keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Here in the shop, our proxy server's access log was over 400 MB. At Gordon Bell, the log size exceed 600 MB! Netscape Proxy Administration does not appear to have a way of fixing an upper limit on the size of these logs, but there is a solution.

If you run Netscape Proxy Administration (in WSD1 Tech Utilities), you can make the following changes which will help:

a. Click Server Status | Archive Log - Click the Archive button. Then put a checkmark in "rotate log on:", select 4:30 am and leave all days checked. Click OK.

b. Optional: click Log Preferences (also under Server Status) - Click the radio button for "No" under "Log client accesses?". Click OK. Do not perform this step disabling client access logging without notifying the school that you are doing so. This access log is rarely viewed, but if the lab facilitator and/or school administrators feel they may wish to check sites which have been accessed from within the school, they may prefer to leave this logging function enabled.

c. To ensure that changes have been made, click on the Apply button at the top of the window, exit from Netscape Proxy Administration, and then go back in and double-check those settings.

d. Use Explorer or DOS or File Manager to access the folder X:\Netscape\SuiteSpot\proxy-sch021\logs where X: is the drive with the proxy server installed and proxy-sch021 is the appropriate server-specific proxy folder. You should find some newly renamed log files which can be safely deleted. Delete them.

e. At this point, the hard drive space has been freed up, but it will just fill up again unless steps are taken to periodically delete the archived files. You may choose to do this manually on a weekly or monthly basis, or you can schedule a script to automatically delete the files.

For automatic log deletion, use AT or WINAT to schedule a script to run as follows:

Name the file DelArchivedProxyLogs.cmd

Note that it is 14 lines long. If it appears longer as displayed or printed below, one or more lines have wrapped. They must not be wrapped in your script or the routine will not work! Lines 10 and 13 are very long.

Use the search-and-replace function in your text editor to replace x: with the drive letter that Netscape Proxy Server is installed on and proxy-sch021 with the correct server-specific proxy folder for the system.

@echo off
rem NOTE: Replace x: with the drive letter that Netscape Proxy Server
rem       is installed on.
rem NOTE: Replace proxy-sch021 with the correct server-specific proxy folder
rem       for the system.
x:
cd \
echo.>\Netscape\SuiteSpot\proxy-sch021\logs\access.tempfile
echo.>\Netscape\SuiteSpot\proxy-sch021\logs\errors.tempfile
if not exist \Netscape\SuiteSpot\proxy-sch021\logs\access*.* if not exist \Netscape\SuiteSpot\proxy-sch021\logs\errors*.* goto end
cd \Netscape\SuiteSpot\proxy-sch021\logs
if not exist access*.* if not exist errors*.* goto end
for %%f in (access*.*,errors*.*) do if not "%%f"=="access" if not "%%f"=="errors" del %%f
:end

I have already put this into place on our proxy server in the shop. Proxy log archiving occurs at 4:30 am every day, and the archive log deletion batch runs every Sunday at 5:00 am. The batch has safeguards which will prevent it from (a) deleting any files from the wrong directory, (b) deleting the wrong files from the right directory, and (c) deleting the active log files.

DISCLAIMER: This document is intended for the reference of computer support personnel within Winnipeg School Division No. 1. There is no warranty or liability if procedures recommended here have an adverse affect on any systems. Use them at your own risk. Any trademarks mentioned are the property of their owners, none of whom have certified any information provided here. Opinions expressed here are personal only and do not represent the policy of Winnipeg School Division No. 1 or any other organization anywhere.

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Click here to visit the Information "Super-Cul-De-Sac". This page was updated
2001 June 9

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