SharePoint 2013: a web application isn't logging user request data

Problem

You are performing routine checking of production farm web front end (WFE) server IIS logs and discover that user requests are not being logged to the My Site web application on one of the farm web front ends (call it WFE1).  What is confusing about this is that requests are being logged for other web applications on this WFE, such as the primary content web application.  Your farm topology features two WFEs in Windows Network Load Balance configuration.

 

Troubleshooting

1. Check user request logging for other web applications on production WFE1: found that that requests are being logged for the primary content web application that is also on this WFE.
2. Check user request logging for web applications on WFE2: found that that requests are being logged for all web applications on WFE2.
3. Check user request logging for web applications on development: found that all web applications on all WFEs are logging user requests.
4. Check production WFE1 web server logging configuration against production WFE2: found that log file location, scheduling appear properly configured and configuration is fully consistent with that for WFE2.
5. Check web application pools on production WFE1: found that WFE1 application pool is started for the My Site web application.
6. Check permissions of the production WFE1 directory used for storing IIS logging data, E:\IIS, and compare with production WFE2: found that the local Administrators group (which the service account, spApp, is a member of) is configured for Full Control on both WFEs, but that for WFE1, all of the checks are grayed out.
7. On production WFE1, in IIS, changed the directory configured for My Site web application user request logging to E:\IIS2, and then clicked Apply: found that the new directory was immediately created and that, after a few moments, a log file was created and this log file was being populated with request data.

Solution

• Check permissions to the directory used to store IIS web application log files and compare with directory permissions of other WFEs. If any discrepancies are found, just point IIS logging to a new folder.  IIS automatically creates and configures appropriate security for the folder.

References

• Exchange 2013 : IIS 8 – change default log directory
• Default Log File Settings for Web Sites <logFile>
• Powershell command to set IIS logging settings