Service Logs
Service Logs are server-side diagnostic logs generated by the NCache Service. These logs record high-level service activity such as service startup, service shutdown, cache start-related messages, and service-level messages. Use Service Logs when you need to verify whether the NCache Service started or stopped successfully, or whether a cache start request was recorded at the service level.
When Service Logs Help
Service Logs are useful when diagnosing issues related to the NCache Service process on a server node. The NCache Service is involved in service-level cache management activity on the node.
In normal operation, Service Logs may contain high-level lifecycle messages, such as service start, service stop, and cache start-related messages. These logs are useful when you need to confirm whether the service restarted successfully or whether a cache start action was recorded by the service. If a service-level error occurs, an error or exception message may appear in the Service Log.
Note
The NCache Service uses the management port, which is 8250 by default. If the NCache Management Center or management tools cannot reach a server node, Service Logs can help verify whether the service started successfully.
What Service Logs Record
Service Logs primarily record NCache Service lifecycle activity and service-level messages. In normal operation, these logs may include entries such as:
NCache service has been started successfully.
"demoCache" started successfully.
NCache service has been stopped successfully.
If a service-level error occurs, an error or exception message may appear in the same log file. For more specific diagnostic areas, also check Windows Event Logging and Cache Server Logs.
Note
If a cache does not start, check Service Logs first to verify whether the service recorded a cache start message. Then check Cache Server Logs for cache-specific startup, topology, or cluster errors.
Service Log Location, File Naming, and Format
By default, NCache writes service logs under the NCache log directory:
- Windows: Available at
%NCHOME%\log-files\ServiceLogs. - Linux: Available at
/opt/ncache/log-files/ServiceLogs.
Service log file names include the ServiceLogs prefix, NCache Service process ID, timestamp, and server IP address.
ServiceLogs.<process-id>.<DD>-<MM>-<YY>_<HH-mm-ss>_<server-ip>.txt
A new service log file is created when the NCache Service restarts. Service log entries are written in a tabular text format. Each entry includes the timestamp, application domain, logger name, thread name or thread ID, log level, and message.
| TIMESTAMP | APPDOMAIN | LOGGERNAME | THREADNAME | LEVEL | MESSAGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-05 11:54:20,726 | Alachisoft.NCache.Service | ServiceLogs | 8 | INFO | NCache service has been started successfully. |
The MESSAGE column contains the service event or service-level message. The LEVEL column indicates the log level, such as INFO for normal service lifecycle entries.
Viewing Service Logs
You can open Service Log files in the NCache Log Viewer. The Log Viewer displays log entries in separate fields and provides options to search entries and compare multiple log files. This is useful when reviewing Service Logs from multiple service restarts or comparing Service Logs with cache logs from the same time range.
Note
NCache Log Viewer is not available in the .NET Core based installation.
