Applies to: Exchange Server 2010 SP3, Exchange Server 2010 SP2
Topic Last Modified: 2011-04-28
You can use protocol logging to review the POP3 and IMAP4 connections in your Exchange environment. This can be useful if you're troubleshooting issues related to POP3 or IMAP4 performance.
Enabling POP3 and IMAP4 Protocol Logging
You can enable or disable protocol logging using the Exchange Management Shell. If you enable protocol logging using the Shell, the default protocol logging settings will be used. These default settings are generally recommended.
Alternatively, you can enable, disable, and modify protocol logging options by editing the Microsoft.Exchange.Pop3.exe.config and Microsoft.Exchange.Imap4.exe.config configuration files located on your Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Client Access server. For more information about how to manage POP3 and IMAP4 protocol settings, see Configure Protocol Logging for POP3 and IMAP4.
Reviewing the Protocol Log
The information included on each line of the POP3 and IMAP4 protocol logs is organized by fields that are separated by commas. The following table explains the fields that are used to classify each protocol event.
Fields used to classify each protocol event
| Field name | Description |
|---|---|
|
date-time |
The date and time of the protocol event. The value is formatted as yyyy-mm-ddhh:mm:ss.fffZ, where yyyy = year, mm = month, dd = day, hh = hour, mm = minute, ss = second, fff = fractions of a second, and Z signifies Zulu. Zulu is another way to indicate Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). |
|
connector-id |
This field is not used for POP3 and IMAP4 protocol logging. |
|
session-id |
A GUID that is unique for each SMTP session but is the same for each event that is associated with that SMTP session. |
|
sequence-number |
A counter that starts at 0 and is incremented for each event in the same session. |
|
local-endpoint |
The local endpoint of a POP3 or IMAP4 session. This consists of an IP address and TCP port number that is formatted as <IP address>:<port>. |
|
remote-endpoint |
The remote endpoint of a POP3 or IMAP4 session. This consists of an IP address and TCP port number that is formatted as <IP address>:<port>. |
|
event |
A single character that represents the protocol event. The possible values for the event are as follows:
|
|
data |
Text information that is associated with the POP3 or IMAP4 event. |
|
context |
This field is not used for POP3 and IMAP4 protocol logging. |