Configure Logging

By default, the Keyfactor Windows Enrollment Certificate enrollment refers to the process by which a user requests a digital certificate. The user must submit the request to a certificate authority (CA). Gateway outputs logging information to both the Windows event log and the local file system, places file system log files in the c:\cms\logs directory, generates file system logs at the Info logging level, and stores file system logs for two days before deleting them.

Understanding Log Files

Log files by default are generated using the following layout:

• Timestamp: The date and time the log was generated, in ISO 8601 extended format.

  Example: 2026-02-11 11:35:21.1402

• Correlation ID: A system-generated GUID that identifies all log messages from a single request. It typically appears immediately after the timestamp.

  Example: 3443C462-1AC7-40FA-9FF6-4554B0F761BC

  The correlation ID appears at all logging levels.

• Log Level: Indicates the severity of the message—ranging from Trace and Debug (low-level detail) to Info, Warn, Error, and Fatal (critical failures).

• Message: The main content of the log entry. This may include descriptive text, data values, or stack traces in the case of errors.

  Example:

  Requesting new certificate.

The above references as found in a full log entry would look like:

Modifying Logging Configuration

If you wish to change these defaults:

1. On the Keyfactor Windows Enrollment Gateway server where you wish to adjust logging, open a text editor (for example, Notepad) using the Run as administrator option.

2. In the text editor, browse to open the NLog.config file in the directory in which you installed the Keyfactor Windows Enrollment Gateway. By default, this is the following directory:

   C:\Program Files\Keyfactor\Keyfactor Managed CA Gateway

3. Your NLog.config file may have a slightly different layout than shown here, but it will contain the fields highlighted in the below figure. The fields you may wish to edit are:

   • The path and file name of the active CA A certificate authority (CA) is an entity that issues digital certificates. Within Keyfactor Command, a CA may be a Microsoft CA or a Keyfactor gateway to a cloud-based or remote CA. gateway log file:

     fileName="C:\cms\logs\CA_Gateway_Log.txt"
     Important:  If you choose to change the path for storage of the log files, you will need to create the new directory (for example, D:\GatewayLogs) and grant the service accounts under which the CA gateway services run full control permissions on this directory.

   • The path and file name of previous days' CA gateway log files:

     archiveFileName="c:\cms\logs\CA_Gateway_Log_Archive_{#}.txt"

     The CA gateway rotates log files daily and names the previous files using this naming convention.

   • The number of archive files to retain before deletion:

     maxArchiveFiles="2"

   • The level of log detail that should be generated:

     name="*" minlevel="Info"

     The default Info level logs error and some informational data but at a minimal level to avoid generating large log files. For troubleshooting, it may be desirable to set the logging level to Debug or Trace. Available log levels (in order of increasing verbosity) are:

     • OFF: Turns off logging.

     • FATAL: Logs severe errors that cause early termination.

     • ERROR: Logs severe errors and other runtime errors or unexpected conditions that do not cause early termination.

     • WARN: Logs warnings such as deprecated API An API is a set of functions to allow creation of applications. Keyfactor offers the Keyfactor API, which allows third-party software to integrate with the advanced certificate enrollment and management features of Keyfactor Command. usage, poor API usage, and other undesirable or unexpected runtime conditions.

     • INFO: Logs all the above, plus general runtime events such as startup and shutdown.

     • DEBUG: Logs all the above, plus detailed information about system behavior and execution flow.

     • TRACE: Logs all available information. This level can result in significant log volume.