Written by Microsoft's Log Parser developer, this is the first book available on Microsoft's popular yet undocumented log parser tool. The book and accompanying Web site contain hundreds of customized, working scripts and templates that system administrators will find invaluable for analyzing the log files from Windows Server, Snort IDS, ISA Server, IIS Server, Exchange Server, and other products.

System administrators running Windows, Unix, and Linux networks manage anywhere from 1 to thousands of operating systems (Windows, Unix, etc.), Applications (Exchange, Snort, IIS, etc.), and hardware devices (firewalls, routers, etc.) that generate incredibly long and detailed log files of all activity on the particular application or device. This book will teach administrators how to use Microsoft's Log Parser to data mine all of the information available within these countless logs. The book teaches readers how all queries within Log Parser work (for example: a Log Parser query to an Exchange log may provide information on the origin of spam, viruses, etc.). Also, Log Parser is completely scriptable and customizable so the book will provide the reader with hundreds of original, working scripts that will automate these tasks and provide formatted charts and reports detailing the results of the queries.