We’ve introduced a new, continuous view in Cerberus FTP Server 11.1 for the Log Manager. This new view is now the default over the paged table view that we debuted with version 11.0.
Some of the early feedback we received for Cerberus FTP Server 11 was that the new, web-based log seemed:
- Non-intuitive, with unexpected jumps between pages when the log refreshed
- Slower than in 10.0
- Difficult to navigate/search
Part of the slowness, both real and perceived, was due to the unexpected refresh of the log every 10 seconds, the lack of any indication the log was refreshing (other than the page freezing), as well as the often unexpected jumping between pages when the log did finish refreshing.
Changes in 11.1
We’ve made several changes to address these issues. First, we did away with paging altogether. While it can be useful in some circumstances, and can improve performance when searching, it was a major departure from how logging worked before 11.0. We decided to switch to a continuous log that automatically scrolled to the bottom whenever new log data was retrieved. This new view also made navigation and searching much more straightforward.
Continuous Log View in Cerberus FTP Server 11.1
Next, we changed the default 10 second refresh to 30 seconds, and provided several visual cues to let the administrator know when to expect a change. There’s now a countdown button visible at the top and bottom of the log to let the administrator know when the log will next refresh, as well as visual indicators to let the admin know that the log is refreshing. We’ve also added an option to allow changing the refresh rate between 10 seconds and 300 seconds (accessible through a drop-down button on the top log refresh button).
Our last change to how the log redraws was to add a refresh button to the toolbar and bottom of the log, as well as a context menu item, to allow administrators to refresh the log anytime.
Finally, we added an option to scroll to the bottom of the log whenever the log refreshes. Administrators can toggle that option on or off by checking or unchecking a simple check box at the bottom of the log.
For those that preferred the paged table view, administrators can still fall back to that mode. There’s now a toggle switch at the top of the log page to go back and forth between the continuous and paged modes.
Conclusion
While these changes aren’t particularly large, we do think they will have a big impact on the usability of the Log Manager in 11.1. We’re eager for you to give them a try and tell us what you think.