log4j:ERROR Failed to rename

Question

I get this error "log4j:ERROR Failed to rename" in my tomcat server log. I have multiple DailyRollingFileAppender in my log4j XML. And each appender points to different file. Only once instance of the application is running. I used Handle utility and run the command (with log file name as parameter)

handle -f ams-app.log and the result is Tomcat7.exe pid: 5032 type: File 54C: E:\apps\ams\logs\ams-app.log

From this I assume there is only one lock on the file. My environment Windows Server 2008, tomcat 7.0 and Java 6 and slf4j-log4j12(1.5.6)

This problem was not happening when same application hosted on AIX server. I googled this problem and it seems to be windows specfic. Also I am not keen to use DatedFileAppenders or any forked log4j. Does logback solve such issues. Any suggestions on how to solve this problem is appreciated. Thanks

here my log4j xml

<log4j:configuration xmlns:log4j="http://jakarta.apache.org/log4j/">
<appender name="CONSOLE_APPENDER" class="org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender">
    <errorHandler class="org.apache.log4j.helpers.OnlyOnceErrorHandler"/>
    <param name="Target" value="System.out"/>
    <param name="Threshold" value="DEBUG"/>
    <layout class="org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout">     
        <param name="ConversionPattern" value="%n %d{yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %x %M(%F:%L) - %m  %n"/>
    </layout>
</appender>

<appender name="APP_APPENDER" class="org.apache.log4j.DailyRollingFileAppender">
    <errorHandler class="org.apache.log4j.helpers.OnlyOnceErrorHandler"/>
    <param name="datePattern" value="yyyy-MM-dd"/>
    <param name="file" value="E:/apps/ams/logs/ams-app.log"/>
    <param name="append" value="true"/>
    <layout class="org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout">
        <param name="ConversionPattern" value="%n %d{yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %x %M(%F:%L) - %m  %n"/>
    </layout>        
</appender>

<appender name="SQL_APPENDER" class="org.apache.log4j.DailyRollingFileAppender">
    <errorHandler class="org.apache.log4j.helpers.OnlyOnceErrorHandler"/>
    <param name="datePattern" value="yyyy-MM-dd"/>
    <param name="file" value="E:/apps/ams/logs/ams-sql.log"/>
    <param name="append" value="true"/>
    <layout class="org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout">
        <param name="ConversionPattern" value="%n %d{yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %x %M(%F:%L) - %m  %n"/>
    </layout>
</appender>

<appender name="Quartz_APPENDER" class="org.apache.log4j.DailyRollingFileAppender">
    <errorHandler class="org.apache.log4j.helpers.OnlyOnceErrorHandler"/>
    <param name="datePattern" value="yyyy-MM-dd"/>
    <param name="file" value="E:/apps/ams/logs/ams-Quartz.log"/>
    <param name="append" value="true"/>
    <layout class="org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout">
        <param name="ConversionPattern" value="%n %d{yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss} %-5p %x %M(%F:%L) - %m  %n"/>
    </layout>
</appender>


<logger name="org.springframework"><level value="WARN"/></logger>
<logger name="flex.messaging.log.ServletLogTarget"><level value="WARN" /></logger>
<logger name="net.sf.jasperreports"><level value="WARN" /></logger>
<logger name="net.sf.jasperreports.engine.fill"><level value="WARN" /></logger> 
<logger name="org.apache.commons.beanutils"><level value="WARN" /></logger>
<logger name="jdbc.sqltiming" additivity="false"><level value="DEBUG"/><appender-ref ref="SQL_APPENDER"/></logger>
<logger name="org.quartz" additivity="false"><level value="WARN" /><appender-ref ref="Quartz_APPENDER"/></logger>
<logger name="org.quartz.SchedulerException"><level value="ERROR" /><appender-ref ref="MAIL_APPENDER"/></logger>     
<logger name="org.hmil.ams.BatchDAO" additivity="false"><level value="INFO"/><appender-ref ref="Quartz_APPENDER"/></logger>
<root>      
    <priority value="debug"></priority> 
    <appender-ref ref="APP_APPENDER" />      
    <appender-ref ref="CONSOLE_APPENDER"/>
</root>

Unwilled

Can you pls post the log4j configuration ? – Coal

Answer 1

It appears that if you're running windows this is a known bug:

see here: http://do.whileloop.org/2014/02/14/log4j-rolling-file-appenders-in-windows/

See here: https://issues.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=29726

And also here: http://www.coderanch.com/t/424837/java/java/Log-log-file-rolled-day

Thimerosal

Answer 2

I had the same issue and fixed it by updating log4j to version 1.2.15 as per this discussion

Extinguish

We use log4j 1.2.15 but we have same problem still with that version. – Zerelda

I found the solution to my problem and wanted to share here. When adding appender-ref in logger tag, it throws renaming error. When adding appender-ref in root tag, it never throws that error. – Zerelda