Shibboleth Developers

[Chad La Joie <>]

The configuration of logging within the IdP has been a bit of a sore 
spot for some individuals.  There are currently two ways to configure 
logging:

1. Using the ErrorLog/TransactionLog elements which configures log4j in 
a programmatic manner.  This does not allow for logging information from 
third-party code (extensions) or changing things like the conversion 
pattern (the string that tells Log4J how to form it's logging messages).

2. Using a Log4J configuration file which some people find to be 
confusing and difficult to configure.

Both of these methods also interact poorly with many application 
containers that have other methods of managing the logging 
configuration.  While the current IdP does not deploy easily, if at all, 
in other containers we're trying to make 2.0 handle this better.

Currently I am trying to decide how best to approach configuring logging 
in 2.0.  I am currently leaning towards dropping IdP config file based 
configuration in favor of deployers working with their container, in 
whatever manner is appropriate for that container.

I think this offers some functionality that we can't offer, most 
importantly is that almost all containers allow for runtime updates to 
logging configurations (which can be a godsend for debugging problems). 
 Additionally, many commercial containers also provide UIs for 
configuring logging.  However, the downside is that most free containers 
still require individuals to edit log4j configuration files which, as 
mentioned above, are confusing to some.  Also some (particularly Tomcat) 
containers seem to change where you put this configuration on a frequent 
basis.

So, what does the community think on this subject?
--
Chad La Joie             2052-C Harris Bldg
OIS-Middleware           202.687.0124