Syntax
The command-line syntax for Elogdmp is simple, and is
structured as follows:
elogdmp [-?] computername eventlogtype [> export
filename]
The components of the syntax, together with amplifying
comments, appear in Table 2.
|
Component
|
Description
|
|
[-?]
|
Prompts for display of command-line
help
|
|
computername
|
The name of the computer against
whose log files we are running the export process. Elogdmp accepts:
7
IP addresses
7
NetBIOS names,
7
Some DNS names, with preceding
backslashes not required
|
|
eventlogtype
|
The event log type to display.
(If the name of the log contains a
space, enclose it in quotation marks)
|
|
export
filename
|
The file name and location to which we wish to
redirect export output
|
Table 2: Elogdmp Syntax Components
The following example would export the contents of the Security
log, as it exists upon a server named ELIAS; the output file, named 021404_Security.txt
would be redirected to the EventLogs directory on the D: drive.
elogdmp ELIAS Security
> D:\EventLogs\021404_Security.txt
For the details surrounding additional functionality with Elogdmp,
such as its filtering and error reporting capabilities, consult the
documentation that ships with the Windows 2000 Resource Kit. For now, we
will practice with using Elogdmp to create a dump file, whose ultimate
destination will be an MS Access database.
Practice: Using the Tool to Export the Event Log
To put Elogdmp into action, we have only to open a Command
Prompt and issue the appropriate syntax. We will create a dump file for
our destination database by taking the following steps:
1.
Go to the Start button on the PC, and then navigate to Programs
--> Accessories --> Command Prompt, as shown in Illustration
5.
Illustration 5: Open a Command Prompt Window
Note: There are numerous ways of launching the Command
Prompt. Select the way that you prefer.
2.
Click Command
Prompt to open the prompt.
The Command
Prompt window opens.
3.
From the
directory housing Elogdmp.exe (the location depends upon where you chose
to install the Windows 2000 Resource Kit, or where you placed the
individual file after extracting it or otherwise placing it), type the
following into the Command Prompt:
[Directory Housing the Event Log Tool]> Elogdmp [ComputerName] application
> [Full file name you wish for the file]
I used the
following syntax on my computer.
D:\Program File\Windows 2000 Resource Kit>Elogdmp ELIAS application
> D:\temp\022004_app.txt
The command prompt window on my PC
appears as depicted in Illustration 6.
Illustration 6: The Syntax at the Command Prompt
4.
Press ENTER.
The
dump file is created instantaneously. If this is not the case, go back and
check your typing, particularly the validity of the information that is
contextually specific to your local computer.
5.
Go to Windows
Explorer and navigate to the folder into which you directed the Elogdmp output.
I
specified that my file be called 022004_app.txt, and that it be placed within the D:\temp folder
on my machine. Upon navigating to the folder, I see that the file has indeed
been created, as shown in Illustration 7.
Illustration 7: The Output File Appears
6.
Close the Command
Prompt when ready.
If we wish to do so, we
can certainly open the file with Notepad.exe, or any number of other text
editors. The file we have created will become the data source for our new Event
Log database, and will be used in both its creation and population, as we
will see when we move into the import stage in Part II of this article.
Conclusion ...
With
this, Part I of a two-article lesson, we diverted from our typical focus
of working with financial information in MS Access, and set our sights on using
the RDBMS in a different role: the support of operational analysis and
reporting with the wealth of statistics that can be obtained from the Event
Log of the Windows operating system. After introducing the Event Log
and discussing the data that it contains, we set about meeting our objective of
creating an MS Access database and populating it with Event Log data.
We discussed the usefulness of manipulating Event Log
data within a database, and then introduced the Elogdmp utility as an
easy-to-use option for exporting Event Log data. Finally, we performed a
hands-on exercise using the utility to dump an Application log in
preparation for its import, in Part II, to an MS Access database for
Analysis and Reporting.
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