The Logging Process

Chaperon 2000 reads the text log files that ISA Server creates, and writes that information to a database. The default database is an Access database. This is fine for very small organizations, but it is limited by how large it can grow, and it restricts the user to running reports (with the Chaperon 2000 Analyst) to the local ISA Server.

MSDE (Microsoft Data Engine) is appropriate for small to medium-sized organizations that do not expect to keep more than a couple weeks of logging (log size will vary from organization to organization, as well as day-to-day.) It is convenient because it is provided in most copies of Office 2000 and Office XP. However, since it is a free product, it has a 2Gb size limit set on its databases. If you think you will go over this, you should either consider cutting back the number of days of history you plan to keep, or look at using SQL.

SQL is by far the best as far as logging goes. It is more robust, and can handle a lot more data. If your organization has a SQL Server, then you might want to consider logging to it with C2k since you will not need to do any further installations before creating your database. SQL is a must for large organizations that deal with a larger amount of traffic to the Internet. More traffic means more log data – more log data means larger database – and this inevitably leads to SQL.

Installing MSDE

If using SQL, skip to the next section - “Creating the C2k Database on MSDE and SQL.”

Follow these instructions for the machine that will be handling the MSDE database. If installing MSDE from an Office XP Professional or Premium CD, run the MSDE installation program. This can be found in the MSDE2000 directory in the root of the CD. If using an Office 2000 CD, do the following:

• Install Access 2000 NOTE: Access is required to install MSDE. If Access is not installed on the machine that is to run MSDE, the MSDE installation will fail.
• Install MSDE
  • Open “My Computer” and right-click the CD-ROM drive containing the Office 2000 CD and click “Explore” (or access the Office files if they are shared over the network).
  • Navigate to the X:\SQL\X86\SETUP\ directory (where “X” is the drive letter of your CD-ROM)
  • Run the SETUPSQL.EXE file to begin installation.

  

  • Select “Local Host” and click NEXT. After scanning your machine, the MSDE installer will tell you it has gathered enough information and that it is ready to begin. Click NEXT.
  • MSDE will ask you where to install its program files and its data files. The data files should be installed to a drive which has enough room for the MSDE database to grow (MSDE has a maximum size of 2Gb). After selecting the appropriate location, click NEXT.

  NOTE: Be sure to take the size of your server’s paging file, the maximum size setting of your ISA cache, and any other database sizes into account when deciding where to place the MSDE data files. A misjudgment in drive space could cause the drive to fill and possibly cause a loss of data.

  

  • When MSDE sets up the service account, select Local System Account and click NEXT.

  

  • Click NEXT until the installation program finishes. 
  • After installation is complete, click START>PROGRAMS>MSDE>SERVICE MANAGER to open the MSDE Service Console.
  • Start the service.
  • Make sure the "Auto-start service when OS starts" box is checked. Then close the console.

  

Installation of MSDE is complete. Now it is time to set up your database.

Creating the C2k Database in MSDE / SQL

Creating the database is easy, and it takes about 20 minutes after you start the process for it to finish.

1. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the directory where Chaperon 2000 is installed.
2. Locate the C2k_SQL.exe file and double-click it to start the database creation program.
3. If MSDE or SQL is running on the same machine as the ISA Server, AND you are logged onto the machine as an administrator with the appropriate rights, you may enter the local machine name and leave the username and password sections blank. If MSDE/SQL is running on a separate machine from the one running ISA/C2k, then you may have to enter a username and password with rights on that particular machine.



4. Click NEXT and the database creation process will begin. It generally takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete its task.
5. After it has finished with “no errors,” click CLOSE.

The database creation process is complete. Now it’s time to tell C2k where to find the database...

Connecting Chaperon 2000 to the MSDE / SQL Database

1. Open the Chaperon 2000 MMC.
2. Select the “Logging” module in the left pane.
3. In the right pane, select the MSDE/SQL Server Connection button, and then click EDIT.
4. Under the “Provider” tab, select “Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server” and click NEXT.
5. Enter the name or address of the MSDE/SQL Server under “Step 1”.
6. If you are running SQL Server, and you have a specific user account that you use to access SQL databases, then you can place it here. For MSDE, Chaperon 2000 sets up a default username and password.

   Default C2k username and password for MSDE:
   Username: webproxy
   Password: webproxy

7. Click the “Allow saving password” checkbox.
8. Click the dropdown menu for “Select the database on the server” (it will take a moment to appear). Once it opens, select the “webproxylog” database.
9. Click “Test Connection”
10. If your test succeeded, you can click OK. Click SAVE on the Chaperon 2000 MMC (it will turn from pink to blue).
11. Look at the Service Log to ensure that the switch over went smoothly. If there are any issues, stop and restart the C2k service.

Congratulations! Your Chaperon 2000 should now be logging to MSDE or SQL. If something went wrong, contact us for additional help.