PAS for OpenEdge supports log file rollover for both Tomcat-level and application-level logs. The rollover behavior depends on the logging framework managing the log file.

Logback-managed logs

Tomcat and Session Manager log files are managed by the Logback framework. These log definitions are configured in the following files located in the conf directory of the instance:

  • logging-tomcat.properties
  • logging-pasoe.properties

By default, the fileNamePattern property includes %d{yyyy-MM-dd}, which causes log files to roll over daily.

For example:
logs/tomcat.%d{yyyy-MM-dd}.log

In Logback, rollover is event-triggered. When the rollover boundary is reached (midnight by default), the current log file remains open until the next log event occurs. At that time, Logback closes the current file and creates a new file for the new period.

As a result:

  • A new log file is created only when a log event occurs after the rollover boundary.
  • If no log events occur during an entire rollover period, no log file is created for that period.
  • On low-traffic servers, log files may be absent for days when no logging activity occurs.

ABL application agent log

The ABL application agent log (abl_app.agent.{yyyy-mm-dd}.log) is managed by the OpenEdge Logger framework rather than Logback.

The agent log location and filename are controlled by the agentLogFile property in the conf/openedge.properties file.

For example:

agentLogFile=${catalina.base}/logs/oepas1.agent.{yyyy-mm-dd}.log

The agent log rolls over only when the filename contains a date token such as {yyyy-mm-dd}.

Unlike Logback-managed logs, the OpenEdge Logger performs rollover at the rollover boundary regardless of logging activity.

As a result:

  • A new agent log file is created at the start of each rollover period (midnight by default).
  • Log file creation does not depend on log events occurring during the period.
  • A log file is created for every day, even if no messages are written to it.

To disable rollover for the agent log, remove the date token from the filename definition:

agentLogFile=${catalina.base}/logs/oepas1.agent.log

Compare rollover behavior

This table summarizes the differences in rollover behavior.

Characteristic Logback-managed Logs ABL Application Agent Log
Logging framework Logback OpenEdge Logger
Configuration file logging-tomcat.properties, logging-pasoe.properties openedge.properties
Daily rollover enabled by %d{yyyy-MM-dd} in fileNamePattern {yyyy-mm-dd} in agentLogFile
Rollover trigger Next log event after rollover boundary Rollover boundary (midnight by default)
File created if no log activity occurs No Yes
Quiet days can result in missing log files Yes No

Note: On low-traffic servers, Logback-managed log files may be absent for quiet days, while the ABL application agent log continues to create a new file for each rollover period.