The New Windows Azure Logging

Posted by Alin Irimie on October 06, 2009

At commercial launch, Windows Azure will feature an improved logging system. The new system will give users greater flexibility over what information is logged and how it is collected.

The initial Community Technology Preview provided a logging API that allowed developers to write custom messages to an append-only log. The API was built on top of the efficient event tracing capabilities of Windows.

The new logging system, you’ll have the ability to collect other kinds of data, such as performance counters. You’ll have the ability to automatically push your logs to Windows Azure storage at an interval you specify, in a structured format that’s easy to query. You’ll have the ability to reconfigure your logging on the fly, so you don’t have to decide up-front exactly what data you’ll need to debug problems.

The new logging system retains the best attributes of the initial logging API (simplicity and efficiency) while adding important features to help you build robust and reliable applications on Windows Azure.

Using Logging in a Windows Azure Application Sceencast

Posted by Alin Irimie on May 06, 2009

Using Logging in a Windows Azure Application: Windows Azure provides a built-in framework for writing log messages from your applications. In this screencast, you’ll learn how to use the Windows Azure logging API and how to read log messages whether your application is running in the development fabric or in the cloud.

Presented by Bill Lodin. 

[videofile]http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/D/8/AD81F977-0570-45A7-9625-74D13E059503/winvideo-WindowsAzure_Logging_030409.wmv[/videofile]

Accessing Windows Azure Logs

Posted by Alin Irimie on December 16, 2008

Logs are important. No question about it. On Windows Azure, you can output trace messages, by calling the RoleManager.WriteToLog() API from Microsoft.ServiceHosting.ServiceRuntime.

But how can you access windows azure logs? Jim Nakashima has a wonderful post on how to get Windows Azure Logs using Cloud Drive.

I wonder if there’s already an Enterprise Library Logging or maybe a Log4Azure library?