Watch Service Configuration

The Aspera Watch Service configuration in the <server> section of aspera.conf includes the snapshot database, snapshot frequency, and logging:

<server>
    <rund>...</rund>
    <watch>
        <log_level>log</log_level>
        <log_directory>AS_NULL</log_directory>
        <db_spec>redis:host:31415:domain</db_spec>        
        <watchd>
            <max_directories>1000000</max_directories>
            <max_snapshots>10000</max_snapshots>
            <snapshot_min_interval>3s</snapshot_min_interval>
            <snapshot_min_changes>100</snapshot_min_changes>
            <scan_threads>16</scan_threads>
        </watchd>
        <watchfolderd>...</watchfolderd>
    </watch>
</server>

To view current settings without opening aspera.conf, run the following command and look for settings that start with watch and watchd:

# /opt/aspera/bin/asuserdata -a

Note: Logging and database settings apply to both the Watch Service and Watch Folders services.

Configuring Watch Service Settings

Configure the Watch Service by using asconfigurator commands with this general syntax:

# /opt/aspera/bin/asconfigurator -x "set_server_data;option,value"

Options and values are described in the following table.

Configuration Options and Values

asconfigurator option aspera.conf setting	Description	Default
watch_log_dir <log_dir>	Log to the specified directory. This setting applies to both the Watch Service and Watch Folders services.	The Aspera logging file (Log Files).
watch_log_level <log_level>	The level of detail for Aspera Watch Service logging. This setting applies to both the Watch Service and Watch Folders services. Valid values are `log`, `dbg1`, and `dbg2`.	`log`
watch_db_spec <db_spec>	Use the specified Redis database, which is defined with the syntax `redis:ip_address:port[:domain]`. This setting applies to both the Watch Service and Watch Folders services.	`redis:127.0.0.1:31415`
watchd_max_directories <max_directories>	The maximum number of directories that can be watched (combined across all watches). This setting is used only on Linux machines to overwrite the system value /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches. To overwrite the system value with the aspera.conf value, run the setup procedure in the admin tool: `# aswatchadmin setup`	1000000
watchd_max_snapshots <max_snapshots>	The number of snapshots that are stored in the database before the oldest are overwritten.	10000
watchd_snapshot_min_interval <snapshot_min_interval>	The maximum amount of time between snapshots. If this period passes without the minimum number of changes to trigger a snapshot, a new snapshot is taken.	3s
watchd_snapshot_min_changes <snapshot_min_changes>	The minimum number of changes that trigger a snapshot. If this number is reached before the snapshot minimum interval passes, a new snapshot is taken.	100
watchd_scan_threads <scan_threads>	The number of threads to use to scan the watched folder. More threads increase the speed of the scan, particularly for folders with large numbers of files, but require more of your computer's resources.	16