Getting Azure Logs from role process

Question

I've configured the Azure Diagnostics so that the logs get uploaded to a storage table. I'm using Trace.TraceXxx from my code and all works well.

Now I'm trying to add tracing from the Role OnStart() and OnStop() methods. I know that the tracing works as I see the lines in the Debug window when running in the emulator. But from the cloud deployment, it seems that these trace lines never get uploaded to the table. My guess is that it is somewhat related to TraceSources, as the only trace lines I've in the table come from the w3wp.exe source... Any hint ?

Thanks

OK so I figured out that the RoleEntryPoint not using the `web.config` file, I needed to create another config file named `WaIISHost.exe.config` in my web project (Copy to Output Directory -> Copy always) and copy/paste the `` section from the web.config. — ThomasWeiss, Apr 15 '12 at 15:22

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 15 '12 at 18:23

Like you said you can add the trace listener using the WaIISHost.exe.config, but besides that you can also add the trace listener in code (you'll need a reference to Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Diagnostics.dll):

public class WebRole : RoleEntryPoint
{
    public override void Run()
    {
        var listener = new Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Diagnostics.DiagnosticMonitorTraceListener();
        Trace.Listeners.Add(listener);

        ...
    }
}

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 15 '12 at 19:23

Another way of setting up diagnostics is through the configuration file. If you created a VS solution recently, it will automatically create the diagnostics plug-in and configuration for the trace listener. With the config file (diagnostics.wadcfg) there is no code that needs to be written for the different data sources. Here is a link where you can get started and a sample file:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg604918.aspx

You cannot include custom performance counters right now and you need to make sure that you don’t try to allocate more than 4GB of buffer to anything (you can leave at 0), or it tends to fail.

Note, the time interval format (e.g PT1M). That is a serialization format, so PTXM is X minutes, while PTXS is X in seconds. You need to mark this as content and copy always in Visual Studio (place at root of project) so it gets packaged.

And here is a link to the three ways to setup diagnostics http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsazure/hh411541.aspx

Ranjith
http://www.opstera.com

I already had a diagnostics.wadcfg file in my solution, but this is not enough to activate tracing in the RoleEntryPoint (you still need to add listeners either through a config file or programmatically as explained by @Sandrino). — ThomasWeiss, Apr 15 '12 at 19:30

Getting Azure Logs from role process

2 Answers2