One of the requirements for our new project is to record all the messages passing through our Jabber server on our lan. Can this be done with the Professional version of Messenger.
Hi
Messenger currently can audit all XML packets to a rotating log file. You can either save these files, or import them into a database using a cron job.
The audit log file itself is not valid XML because it does not contain a root element (all XMPP packets are stored as separate XML documents within the one log file). You can convert it into a valid XML file by using XInclude to include the log file inside of another XML document that’'s just a single root element (turning the separate XMPP packets into child elements of that root element). This is documented in the jiveMessengerHome/documentation/auditing.html file in your distribution.
The audit log files are an interim solution.
We are planning on including a simpler to use, database backed auditing system in Messenger 1.1 with searching, reporting, etc of audited data. If you have specific message auditing needs (beyond the basics of saving messages and retrieving them via the web admin UI) please let me know in this forum thread. I’'m about to start implementing this feature so suggestions now have a good chance of finding their way into the Messenger 1.1 release.
-iain
Thanks iain. I wasn’'t given any detail on specific auditing needs. Just that we need to record the messages that go through the server.
Thanks again.
I’'m about to start implementing this feature
so suggestions now have a good chance of finding
their way into the Messenger 1.1 release.
Were you planning on providing different levels of logging, i.e. error, warning, debug, etc?
Thanks,
Ryan
Warnings and errors will still be logged to the Messenger log files. The audit feature will primarily be used for saving messages sent through the server and optionally server ‘‘events’’ such as logins, logouts, etc.
The idea being that the log files are primarily for troubleshooting configuration/setup problems and fatal errors and are useful only in getting the server properly deployed, configured, and running. So it’‘s mostly information that’'s useful at the time, but is used, then discarded once the problem is resolved.
The audit system will be for tracking user activities, accessing past chat messages (some industries and companies have laws/policies requiring the storage and retrieval of any communication), etc. The data will need to be stored and accessible for long periods of time (SEC requirements are 3 years i think) and you will want to search and report on the data in multiple ways.
So, the short answer is probably ‘‘no’’. Logging as you see it now will remain in the log files (with the exception of the user activity events that are currently being logged to the jive.info.log file).
Does that make sense and do you agree that’'s a good approach?
-iain
So, the short answer is probably ‘‘no’’. Logging as you
see it now will remain in the log files (with the
exception of the user activity events that are
currently being logged to the jive.info.log file).
Does that make sense and do you agree that’'s a good
approach?
Yep, that works for me. I administer a Jabber server that offers various levels of logging so I was just curious to know how you were planning on implementing your solution. I’‘ve had real good luck with Jive Forums so I’‘m hoping to move to Jive Messenger cough competitive upgrade pricing cough () but it probably won’'t be for another couple of months.
Thanks for the info,
Ryan
heh. Glad you are happy with Forums and we hope you’‘ll make the switch to Messenger in the future. I’'m sure sales can work something out… We should have the 1.1 release shortly and 1.2 maybe in the time frame of your decision.
-iain
Great, thanks.
-Ryan