Feature Usage Logging
Feature Usage Logging records information about the NCache features used by configured caches on a node. This information can include user profile status, hardware profile, caching environment, connected client details, cache topology, and feature usage details.
The Feature Usage Log is not an operation-level diagnostic log. It does not replace Cache Server Logs, Service Logs, Client API Logs, or PerfMon Logs. Use it when you need to review which NCache features are recorded as used or enabled on a node, along with the environment and profile information associated with that node.
The ncache-feature-usage.xml file placed at %NCHOME%\log-files records this information in XML format.
<feature-usage edition="ENT|OSS" version="5.3 SP6" platform=".NET Framework,.NET Core" update-time="[TIMESTAMP]" last-posting-time="[TIMESTAMP]">
<profile>
<user-profile first-name="John" last-name="Smith" email="john_smith@alachisoft.com" company="Alachisoft"/>
<hardware-profile cores="4" memory="11" os="Windows" activation-status="Eval|Active" environment-name="production" machine-id="GUID" machine-name="Production-Server1" other-servers="[Machine-id],[Machine-id]"/>
<caching-profile>
<topology name="partitioned-replica" store-type="distributed-cache" no-of-caches="1" max-cluster-size="1"/>
</caching-profile>
<client-profile max-connected-clients="20" max-cores="32" min-cores="16" max-memory="24" min-memory="16" os="windows,linux" platform=".net,.netcore,java"/>
</profile>
<feature-details>
<feature name="backing-source" last-used-on="DD:MM:YYYY" creation-date="DD:MM:YYYY">
<feature name="Write-behind" last-used-on="DD:MM:YYYY" creation-date="DD:MM:YYYY"/>
</feature>
</feature-details>
</feature-usage>
Feature Usage Log Generation and Location
Feature Usage Logs are generated when Feature Usage Logging is enabled and NCache records feature usage information for configured caches on a node. The update-time attribute in the XML file indicates when the file was last updated.
By default, the Feature Usage Log is stored under the NCache log directory:
%NCHOME%\log-files\ncache-feature-usage.xml
The file is written in XML format and can be opened in a text editor or XML viewer.
Configure Feature Usage Logging
Feature Usage Logging is controlled through the NCache Service configuration. To enable or disable Feature Usage Logging, update the following setting:
<add key="NCacheServer.EnableFeatureUsageLogging" value="true"/>
Set the value to true to allow NCache to collect and log feature usage information to the ncache-feature-usage.xml file. Set the value to false to disable Feature Usage Logging.
NCache also provides the following setting for feature usage reporting:
<add key="NCacheServer.UploadFeatureUsageStats" value="true"/>
When enabled, NCacheServer.UploadFeatureUsageStats allows NCache to upload feature usage statistics, depending on the configured reporting behavior. Set this value according to your environment and reporting requirements.
Note
Feature Usage Logging is configured through NCache Service settings. It is separate from cache-level logging settings used for Cache Server Logs.
Feature Usage Logs Content
The ncache-feature-usage.xml file contains profile information and feature usage details for configured caches on the node. A Feature Usage Log can include the following main sections:
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
<feature-usage> |
Root section that identifies the NCache edition, version, platform, update time, and posting time. |
<profile> |
Contains user, hardware, caching, and client profile information. |
<user-profile> |
Contains registered user information, such as first name, last name, email, and company. |
<hardware-profile> |
Contains node-level hardware and environment information, such as cores, memory, operating system, activation status, machine ID, and machine name. |
<caching-profile> |
Contains cache topology information for caches registered with the node. |
<client-profile> |
Contains connected client profile information, such as connected client count, client memory and core information, operating system, and platform. |
<feature-details> |
Contains feature usage information for configured caches. |
Feature Usage Attributes
The root <feature-usage> tag provides the overall context of the file.
| Tag Name | Description |
|---|---|
edition |
Specifies the edition of the NCache being used. |
version |
Specifies the version of the NCache being used. |
platform |
Specifies the platform(s) of the application being used. |
update-time |
Specifies the last updated time of the file. |
last-posting-time |
Specifies the latest time at which the log file was posted to the database. |
Profile Information
The <profile> section contains node-level profile information. It can include user profile, hardware profile, caching profile, and client profile details.
User Profile
The <user-profile> section contains registered user information for the node.
| Tag Name | Description |
|---|---|
first-name |
Specifies the first name of the registered user. |
last-name |
Specifies the last name of the registered user. |
email |
Specifies the email address of the registered user. |
company |
Specifies the company of the registered user. |
Hardware Profile
The <hardware-profile> section contains hardware and environment information for the node.
| Tag Name | Description |
|---|---|
cores |
Specifies the number of cores being used by a node. |
memory |
Specifies the total memory being used by a node. |
os |
Specifies the operating system that the specified node is using. (Comma separated in case of multiple operating systems.) |
activation-status |
Specifies the activation status of the node. For example, is NCache on the node activated or in the evaluation phase. |
environment-name |
Specifies the environment name provided at the time of activation confirmation. |
machine-id |
Specifies a machine ID that is unique to a node. |
machine-name |
Specifies the IP/name of the machine. |
other-servers |
Specifies a list of all server nodes connected to the specified node in all clusters. |
Caching Profile
The <caching-profile> section contains information about caches registered with the node.
| Tag Name | Description |
|---|---|
name |
Specifies the topology used in the cache. |
store-type |
Specifies the store type of the specified topology. |
no-of-caches |
Specifies the number of caches of the specified topology. |
max-cluster-size |
Specifies the maximum cluster size among all the clusters of the same topology. |
Client Profile
The <client-profile> section contains profile information about connected clients.
| Tag Name | Description |
|---|---|
max-connected-clients |
Specifies the maximum (current) number of client nodes connected at that instant. |
max-cores |
Specifies the maximum number of cores used by the connected clients. |
min-cores |
Specifies the minimum number of cores used by the connected clients. |
max-memory |
Specifies the maximum memory used by the connected clients. |
min-memory |
Specifies the minimum memory used by the connected clients. |
os |
Specifies the operating systems of all connected clients. (Comma separated in case of multiple operating systems). |
platform |
Specifies the platform of the connected client. (Comma separated in case of multiple platforms). |
Feature Details
The <feature-details> section lists the NCache features recorded for configured caches. A feature entry can contain nested feature entries for related sub-features.
| Tag Name | Description |
|---|---|
name |
Specifies the name of the feature that is being used. |
store-type |
Specifies the store type of the specified topology. |
last-used-on |
Specifies the last time that feature was called/used/enabled. |
creation-date |
Specifies the creation date of that feature. |
The presence of a feature in this section indicates that NCache recorded usage or configuration information for that feature. It should not be interpreted as an operation-level trace of every request that used the feature.
Reading Feature Usage Logs
To review a Feature Usage Log, open ncache-feature-usage.xml in a text editor or XML viewer.
When reading the file:
- Review the root
<feature-usage>tag to identify the NCache edition, version, platform, and update time. - Review the
<profile>section to identify user, hardware, cache topology, and client profile information. - Review the
<feature-details>section to identify features recorded for configured caches. - Use the
last-used-onandcreation-dateattributes to understand when a feature was recorded or last used.
Important
The Feature Usage Log can contain user, company, machine, activation, and environment information. Review or redact sensitive values before sharing this file outside your organization.
Note
To enable/disable Feature Usage Logging, refer to the NCache Service Config.
See Also
Performance Counters Logging
Windows Event Logging
Cache Server Logs
Service Logs
Client API Logs
PerfMon Logs
