Mimecast Synchronization Engine - Log Files

The Mimecast Synchronization Engine runs as a Windows service, bridging your organization's LAN and the Mimecast cloud. When troubleshooting and monitoring Synchronization Engine tasks, knowing what to look for and when to look for it is essential. This article assists in understanding how to troubleshoot and monitor tasks.  

Log Files Explained

By default, the Mimecast Synchronization Engine service log can be found in the C:\ProgramData\Mimecast Synchronisation Engine\logs directory on the host server.

The files found in the root of this directory are generic logs about the service.

The service log containing specific details about your Site is in the ACCOUNTCODE subdirectory. ACCOUNTCODE is your unique Mimecast account code found in the Account | Account Settings menu item in the Administration Console.

Within 2 minutes of saving a configuration in the Administration Console, your Mimecast Synchronization Engine server should pick up the new configuration and schedule Active Directory Sync. To check this:

1. Log in to the Mimecast Synchronization Engine server that the Active Directory Sync connection is configured to use and navigate to the service log directory by default C:\Program Files\Mimecast\SynchronizationEngine\log\service.
2. Open the log file for the current day and search for the string "calling siteConfig"
3. Following this, you should see a line similar to the one below showing Active Directory Sync being applied and the next time the synchronization is scheduled to start:

DEBUG|02062015 08:46:37,319| 4|mseservice|AntiCorruptionScheduler|+ event taskId: 2972, name: Task Description, next occurrence: 02/06/2015 13:00:00

If you do not see this line, you should see an error message indicating why Active Directory Sync cannot be applied. Typically, this is caused by a networking issue preventing the Mimecast Synchronization Engine from connecting to the Mimecast API. To run a sync before the next scheduled execution, use the Sync All button in the Administration Console's Services | Directory Synchronization page.

Checking a Task Has Started

The Mimecast Synchronization Engine service logs consistent strings in log lines when a task starts; the table below provides examples of the strings to search for to check if a specific task has begun.

Feature	String
Mailbox Folder Replication	Search for log lines containing: MMS AND executing task
Calendar Replication	Search for log lines containing: CAL AND executing task
Mailbox Storage Management	Search for log lines containing: MCS AND executing task
Managed Folders	Search for log lines containing: FBR AND executing task
File Archiving	Search for log lines containing: FSR AND executing task
Lync Instant Messaging Archiving	Search for log lines containing: IMA AND executing task
Exchange Ingestion	Search for log lines containing: IOW AND executing task
Active Directory Sync	Search for log lines containing: ADR AND executing task

Checking a Task Has Completed Successfully

Feature	String
Mailbox Folder Replication	Search for log lines containing: MMS AND TaskExit called, scheduedTaskId: ####, message: {task_result} where: #### is a unique numeric value. task_result is a message specific to that execution.
Calendar Replication	Search for log lines containing: CAL AND  TaskExit called, scheduedTaskId: ####, message: {task_result} where: #### is a unique numeric value. task_result is a message specific to that execution.
Mailbox Storage Management	Search for log lines containing: MCS AND TaskExit called, scheduedTaskId: ####, message: {task_result} where: #### is a unique numeric value. task_result is a message specific to that execution.
Managed Folders	Search for log lines containing: FBR AND TaskExit called, scheduedTaskId: ####, message: {task_result} where: #### is a unique numeric value. task_result is a message specific to that execution.
File Archiving	Search for log lines containing: FSR AND TaskExit called, scheduedTaskId: ####, message: {task_result} where: #### is a unique numeric value. task_result is a message specific to that execution.
Lync Instant Messaging Archiving	Search for log lines containing: IMA AND TaskExit called, scheduedTaskId: ####, message: {task_result} where: #### is a unique numeric value. task_result is a message specific to that execution.
Exchange Ingestion	Search for log lines containing: IOW AND TaskExit called, scheduedTaskId: ####, message: {task_result} where: #### is a unique numeric value. task_result is a message specific to that execution.
Active Directory Sync	Search for log lines containing: ADR AND TaskExit called, scheduedTaskId: ####, message: {task_result} where: #### is a unique numeric value. task_result is a message specific to that execution.