Logging

Logs show exactly what happened during a session. You need one when a connection fails for no clear reason, when a transfer behaves oddly, or when you report a bug. linscp writes two kinds of log, set on Options › Preferences › Logging:

• The session log is plain text for people. It records the connection, the protocol exchange and every operation.
• The XML log records operations and their results in a fixed structure, for programs to read.

You can also open this page from the Site Manager: Advanced › Logging….

Session log

1. Check Enable session logging on level and pick a level:
   • Reduced: less detail than normal.
   • Normal: enough for most problems.
   • Debug 1 and Debug 2: much more detail, for bug reports. Debug 2 slows transfers noticeably.
2. In Log path, give the file to write. The name can contain patterns that linscp replaces for each session, such as !S (session name), !@ (host), !Y, !M, !D (date) and !T (time).
3. Choose Append to add to an existing file, or Overwrite to start it fresh each time.
4. Click OK. Logging starts with the next connection.

A path such as /home/alice/logs/!S-!Y!M!D.log gives each site its own daily file. Write logs to a folder that only you can read.

Keep log files small

• Rotate log files after reaching a size, such as 10M, starts a new file when the current one grows past it. The old one is kept with a number added to its name.
• Delete old log files, keep a number of files removes the oldest rotated copies.

Sensitive data

Log passwords and other sensitive information writes passwords and similar secrets into the log. Leave it off unless a developer asks for it, and delete such a log as soon as you are done.

Caution

Even without that option, a log shows host names, user names, paths and file names. Read it and remove anything private before you share it. See reporting bugs.

XML log

Turn on Enable XML logging to file, then enter a path. The same patterns work here. Each session’s commands, transferred files and errors end up as XML elements.

The XML log is mostly useful for automation. See XML log for automation for its structure.

Logging from the command line

Both linscp and linscp-cli take logging switches that apply to one run, whatever this page says:

linscp-cli /log=/home/alice/logs/run.log /loglevel=1 /script=upload.txt
linscp /xmllog=/home/alice/logs/run.xml sftp://alice@example.com/

/logsize sets rotation the same way. The full list is in linscp-cli switches.