---
sourceDocument: Australia Platform security
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/platform-security

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Platform security

ft:clusterId :

    - psec

bundleId :

    - psec

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Use the log file browser

# Use the log file browser {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Australia
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

The instance provides the utilities log file browser and log file download.
Use System LogsUtilitiesNode Log File Browser to view any system log entry. You can search for log files by using the
following filters:  
{#r_LogUtilities__table_vd5_bvk_sq__entry__2}

| Field | Description |
|-|-|
| Start time | Start date and time of the range you want to search, for the locale of the machine running the instance. |
| Session ID | System-generated hexadecimal string that identifies the session that generated the log entry. |
| End time | End date and time of the range you want to search, for the locale of the machine running the instance. |
| Message | System-generated description of the occurrence. |
| Level | Type of message displayed. The levels are Debug, Error, Warning, and Information. A warning is an error that has been handled and recovered. An error is something that must be fixed. |
| Thread name | System-generated identifier of the thread that created the log file. |
| Max rows | Maximum number of records returned for a particular filter. |
[Table 1. Log file browser]

{#r_LogUtilities__table_vd5_bvk_sq}

The instance creates compressed archives of system logs every 2 days and purges log archives after 21 days.  
Important:  
When a node is retired, the node's log files are purged immediately, which means they aren't archived for an additional 21 days.

You can download log file archives and view them with System LogsUtilitiesNode Log File Download. Select a log archive from the list, and then click Download log under Related Links to open or save the archive.  
Note:  
Log files are only available for the node you are currently logged into. To see the currently logged into node, navigate to System DiagnosticsStats.

Use the new Show Syslog Records button on the Transaction and Active Transaction forms to view any System Log entries that were generated during the execution of the transaction. A transaction can have any
number of syslog entries. The multiple syslog entries for all the transactions make it difficult to co-relate a transaction with their respective syslog entries. The Show Syslog Records UI action helps in
co-relating the active and completed transactions to their respective syslog entries by building a URL to query the syslog table. Identifying the correct syslog entries for a particular transaction helps in debugging and
addressing security concerns.

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