Changing The Verbosity Of Timebase Logging

Log file locations#

Log filenames include the date, e.g. 20260503.txt. The path can be changed by setting the Logs key in settings.config or via environment variable.

How to Change the Log Level#

Each product reads its log level from a settings.config file. Edit the Serilog section directly - the change takes effect immediately without restarting the service.

Settings file locations#

Docker: /settings/settings.config (mapped from the product's settings volume)

The Serilog section#

The Serilog section in settings.config controls which messages are shown:

"Serilog": {
  "MinimumLevel": {
    "Default": "Warning",
    "Override": {
      "Timebase.Historian": "Information",
      "Timebase.Dataset": "Information"
    }
  }
}

• Default - the minimum level for everything not listed in Override. Keep this at Warning to suppress noise from ASP.NET Core and other libraries.
• Override - per-namespace level settings. The product's own namespace is listed here so its messages appear at Information by default.

Available log levels#

Levels in order from least to most severe:

Namespace overrides for each product#

Use these namespace values in the Override section of settings.config:

To set a level for all Timebase code across every namespace at once, use the parent namespace:

"Override": {
  "Timebase": "Debug"
}

Alternate methods#

You can also change the log level without editing settings.config by hand:

Host settings editor. Every component's Instance Info page has an Edit button beside Configuration. Its Logging section holds the same Serilog minimum levels and writes them to settings.config for you; the editor notes that its changes take effect after the host restarts.

Environment variable (takes effect on next restart):

Serilog__MinimumLevel__Default=Debug
Serilog__MinimumLevel__Override__Timebase.Historian=Debug

Docker compose:

environment:
  - Serilog__MinimumLevel__Override__Timebase.Historian=Debug

Command-line argument (highest precedence, overrides everything):

--Serilog:MinimumLevel:Default=Debug

What Each Level Shows#

Historian#

Information (default)

Warning

Debug - Data flow messages: HTTP request details, chunk dispatch timing.

Collector#

Information (default)

Warning

Critical (plugin startup failures)

Debug - Chunk-level write detail: sending chunk for dataset {Dataset}: {Chunk} points for {Tags} tags, write timing, buffering rate.

Verbose - Individual data point trace: buffered {Tag} value {Value}: Message {SequenceNumber}. Very high volume - use only for a single tag.

Explorer#

Information (default)

Warning

Critical (startup failures)

Debug - Historian client connection detail, SignalR reconnect events, HTTP proxy request/response timing.

Pulse#

Information (default)

Warning

Error

Debug - JWT validation detail per request, OAuth2 authorization code flow steps, configuration reload notifications.

Common Diagnostic Scenarios#

Collector not delivering data to Historian#

1. Set Timebase.Collector to Debug in the Collector's settings.config.
2. Look for sending chunk for dataset ... - if absent, data is not reaching the write client.
3. Look for store and forward activated - this means the Historian is unreachable from the Collector.
4. Verify the Historian URL and port in the Collector configuration.

Historian shows gaps in tag data#

1. Check the Historian's log for dataset {Dataset} collector has timed out - this marks when the Collector disconnected.
2. Check the Collector's log for hub connection to {BaseAddress} has disconnected around the same time.
3. If Store and Forward was active, look for store and forward deactivated to confirm data was recovered on reconnection.

OPC UA tags not appearing or not updating#

1. Set Timebase.Collector.OPCUA to Debug in the Collector's settings.config.
2. Look for subscription cycle finished in {Elapsed}ms, {Matched} nodes matched - if Matched is 0, no configured tags matched any OPC UA nodes. Check the tag filter configuration.
3. Look for failed to read DataType for node warnings - these nodes are skipped and will not collect data.
4. If the connection itself is failing, look for failed to create session and check the OPC UA server address and security settings.

Pulse authentication errors#

1. Set Timebase.Pulse to Debug in the Pulse settings.config.
2. Look for JWT Authentication Failed - this means the token presented was invalid.
3. Look for No signing keys found in storage - if present, restart Pulse to regenerate the key store.
4. Look for JWT Token Validated successfully to confirm a successful validation is occurring for the expected principal.

Explorer cannot connect to Historian#

1. Check Explorer logs for Explorer Historian[{Index}] 'Host' is not configured at startup.
2. Look for Client {name} hub connection to ... has disconnected to find when the disconnection occurred.
3. Verify the Historian address in the Explorer settings.config under the Historians section.