IIS Log File Entries Have the Incorrect Date and Time Stamp (271196)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0
  • Microsoft Internet Information Services 5.0
  • Microsoft Internet Information Services version 6.0
This article was previously published under Q271196
We strongly recommend that all users upgrade to Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) version 6.0 running on Microsoft Windows Server 2003. IIS 6.0 significantly increases Web infrastructure security. For more information about IIS security-related topics, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/prodtech/IIS.mspx

SYMPTOMS

The date and the time stamp on entries in the IIS log files appear to be incorrect by several hours when you compare the date and the time stamp to the local time on the server.

CAUSE

The selected log file format is the W3C Extended Log File Format. The extended log file format is defined in the W3C Working Draft WD- logfile-960323 specification by Phillip M. Hallam-Baker and Brian Behlendorf. This document defines the Date and Time files to always be in GMT. This behavior is by design.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, use one of the following resolutions:

Resolution 1

Change the active logging format to the Microsoft IIS Log File Format. This format logs in the server's Local Time.

Resolution 2

Use the Convlog.exe utility, which is located in the Winnt\System32 folder, to convert the log to the NCSA Log File Format and server's local time. At a command prompt, type the following:

convlog -ie LogFileName -t ncsa:+/-GMTOffset

where LogFileName is the name of the file to convert and GMTOffset is the number of hours to correct.

For example, to convert a file named "Logfile.log," and correct for Eastern Standard Time, you would use the following command:

convlog -ie Logfile.log -t ncsa:-0500

You can find complete instructions on how to use the Convlog utility in the IIS online documentation.

NOTE: This solution does not actually change the time stamps for the log entries. It enters the GMT offset into each entry, so that anyone reading through the log can see that the time stamp is not in local time.

The following is an example of a log entry produced by this utility:

192.168.1.1 - - [30/Jun/2000:20:16:40 -0500] "GET /default.asp HTTP/1.0" 200 -

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on the extended log file format, see the W3C Working Draft WD-logfile-960323 specification at the following URL:

http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-logfile

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

194699 Extended Log File Format Always in GMT

193612 Log Files Rolled Over According to GMT, Not Local Time Zone

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:6/23/2005
Keywords:kbpending kbprb KB271196
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