Watch Service Configuration

The Aspera Watch Folder 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>
        </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