SDM Web Services Logging Options

Products

CA Service Desk Manager CA Service Management - Service Desk Manager

Issue/Introduction

The following article discusses the various ways that logging can be enabled to debug and troubleshoot Web Services for CA Service Desk.

Web Services functionality in Service Desk allows the integration of Service Management components, such as Process Automation, Catalog, or IT Asset Manager, and with third party products using one of the two common approaches: SOAP or REST.

Environment

CA Service Desk Manager 17.x

Resolution

The following web services options exist and their logging methodologies described:

REST (Representational State Transfer) is the standard "language" apps use to communicate over the internet. REST is fundamentally state-based, meaning each interaction involves transferring a snapshot (or "representation") of a resource's current condition. Directives such as "GET", "POST", and "PUT" are used to transition data, in this case, specific SDM objects, from one state to another.

Typically, the REST Web services is identified by the wadl URL: http://[SDM-SERVER]:8050/caisd-rest/rest_access/?_wadl

REST Logging/Tracing: This is the main article to follow when logging/tracing of REST calls are needed

SOAP Web Services (CXF)

SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is a highly structured way for different computer systems to talk to one another, ensuring that information is delivered securely and exactly as intended. SOAP relies on a strict set of defined methods as instructions to follow to facilitate requests and updates to SDM.

Typically, the SOAP Web services under CXF is identified by the wsdl URL: http://[SDM-SERVER]:8080/cxf/services/USD_WebService?wsdl

Logging and Debug Tracing for CXF based Web Services: This is the main article to follow when logging/tracing of SOAP calls are needed

Additional Articles of Interest:

Logging for Web Services based integrations: This enables logging for the RPC process, often used in integrations and may supplement Web Services tracing.

Debugging Service Desk Web Services API issues: Additional logging options within Service Desk itself, including the use of select 3rd party products

Enable MILESTONE level logging for SOAP SDM Web Services: Useful for MILESTONE level tracing, which is a less aggressive form of log tracing

Monitor incoming or outgoing CXF SOAP payload in CA Service desk Manager: May be used to monitor specific SOAP XML payload

SOAP Web Services (Axis)

Note: This section applies for Service Desk Manager 17.4 RU4 and older.

Axis (Apache eXtensible Interaction System) is an older implementation of SDM SOAP web services, which was last updated in April, 2006. CXF (portmanteau of the two open source projects "Celtix" and "XFire") is the modern successor.

Typically, the SOAP Web services (Axis) is identified by the wsdl URL: http://[SDM-SERVER]:8080/axis/services/USD_R11_WebService?wsdl

Axis SOAP web services has been deprecated since June 30, 2025 and is no longer recommended for use with Service Desk.

In release 17.4 RU5 and later, including future releases such as 17.5, Axis web services is removed entirely. Please review Axis to CXF Migration for CA Service Management for further guidance to migrate over to CXF Web Services.

For purposes of troubleshooting legacy components which rely on Axis SOAP web services, the following options are available.

You will find the logging under NX_ROOT\log\jsrvr.log.

Please see Additional Information for older implementations of 17.3 (prior to RU15)

Stop SDM Services
Backup the log4j2.properties file, located in NX_ROOT\bopcfg\www\CATALINA_BASE\webapps\CAisd\WEB-INF.
Edit the above file in a text editor and locate this block of text (around line 58)
```
logger.usdjws65.name = usdjws65
logger.usdjws65.level = INFO
```

Change the above to read as:

logger.usdjws65.name = usdjws65
logger.usdjws65.level = DEBUG

Save the log4j2.properties file and start SDM Services
Once logging is no longer needed, stop SDM Services and restore the log4j2.properties file from backuP, then start Services back up.

The above logging applies to any Tomcat related processes. This includes SOAP Web services, PDMExport or pdm_export, and any logins to the Tomcat web interface.

Recycling SDM Services after configuring the above debug logging will not stop the debug logging and debug content will continue to be written to jsrvr.log after a given SDM Services recycle.

Additional Information

While Support will try to offer assistance in troubleshooting an issue with Axis Web Services, provided you are running on a supported release of Service Desk, it will not be possible to obtain any fixes or raise a defect pertaining to Axis Web Services for Development to address.