I have a single DNN 8.0.4 installation running a single web site... the SQL database data file stays around ~1.5GB, but the transaction log keeps growing and getting full -- all the way up to 2.0GB limit I set, which makes scheduled SQL backups fail...  I increased the log limit to 4GB -- and it took a little over a week to fill up all that space, too! I have other installations that do not present this problem... what can cause this?

I am unable to open the log -- I get this error message when I try:

Error: View a historical log of database events such as event schedules, exceptions, account logins, module and page changes, user account activities, security role activities, etc. is currently unavailable. DotNetNuke.Services.Exceptions.ModuleLoadException: Timeout expired. The timeout period elapsed prior to completion of the operation or the server is not responding. ---> System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: Timeout expired. The timeout period elapsed prior to completion of the operation or the server is not responding. ---> System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: The wait operation timed out --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnection. (SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection, Action`1 wrapCloseInAction) at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObject stateObj, Boolean callerHasConnectionLock, Boolean asyncClose) at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParserStateObject.ReadSniError(TdsParserStateObject stateObj, UInt32 error) at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParserStateObject.ReadSniSyncOverAsync() at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParserStateObject.TryReadNetworkPacket() at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParserStateObject.TryPrepareBuffer() at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParserStateObject.TryReadByte(Byte& value) at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.TryRun(RunBehavior runBehavior, SqlCommand cmdHandler, SqlDataReader dataStream, BulkCopySimpleResultSet bulkCopyHandler, TdsParserStateObject stateObj, Boolean& dataReady) at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteNonQueryTds(String methodName, Boolean async, Int32 timeout, Boolean asyncWrite) at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.InternalExecuteNonQuery(TaskCompletionSource`1 completion, String methodName, Boolean sendToPipe, Int32 timeout, Boolean asyncWrite) at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.ExecuteNonQuery() at PetaPoco.Database.Execute(String sql, Object[] args) at DotNetNuke.Data.PetaPoco.PetaPocoHelper.ExecuteNonQuery(String connectionString, CommandType type, Int32 timeout, String sql, Object[] args) at DotNetNuke.Data.DataProvider.PurgeLog() at DotNetNuke.Services.Log.EventLog.DBLoggingProvider.PurgeLogBuffer() at DotNetNuke.Services.Log.EventLog.LogController.PurgeLogBuffer() at Dnn.Modules.LogViewer.LogViewer. (EventArgs e) --- End of inner exception stack trace ---

This usually happens when you set the backup mode to full, but don't do any transaction log backups (or full backups) of the database.

Solutions:

First: Make a backup of your database. You should then be able to set the database backup mode to simple and shrink the log files.

Then: Either set your backup mode to Simple, and do one or two full backups a day (when your site does not change contents too often).
Or: Set your backup mode to Full and do regular transaction log backups (in 10-15 minutes intervals), and one full backup a day (when your site has a lot of changes, and even minimal data loss is unacceptable).

Happy DNNing!
Michael

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