Configure Report Deletion Settings and Database Settings

From WatchGuard Server Center, you can configure the report deletion and database settings for your Report Server. You can choose to use either the built-in Report Server database or an external PostgreSQL database. If you choose to use an external database, make sure the database is installed before you select it.

For more information about how to install a WatchGuard Report Server and the built-in PostgreSQL database, go to Set Up Your Report Server or Set Up WatchGuard Servers.

When you set the Maximum database size setting for your Report Server, make sure to consider:

The total available disk space on the computer where you installed the Report Server.
The maximum size of the Log Server database (if it is installed on the same computer as the Report Server).
How often the Log Server and Report Server backup files are generated, and the size of the backup files.
How often reports are generated and the amount of disk space the generated reports use.
How much disk space is used by administrative overhead (system processes).
How much disk space is used by other services and programs on the computer.

If you install the Report Server on the same computer (the server computer) as the Log Server, the two servers share one PostgreSQL database. When you specify the size of the Report Server database, the setting only applies to the Report Server portion of the PostgreSQL database. The size of the Log Server database is configured separately in the Log Server settings. We recommend that you choose database sizes for the Log Server and Report Server that make the combined Maximum database size setting for both servers less than 50% of the total disk space available on the primary operating system partition, or 80% on a secondary partition, of the server computer. This is to make sure the two servers do not use more disk space than is available on your server computer. The remainder of the server computer disk space can then be used for all other functions on the computer. We also recommend that you install the Log Server and Report Server database in a dedicated location on the computer and not on the same partition as the computer operating system.

For more information about how to configure the database size settings for your Log Server, go to Configure Database Size, Authentication Key, and Diagnostic Log Settings.

To configure the database settings for your Report Server:

In the Servers tree, select Report Server.
Select the Database Maintenance tab.
The Database Maintenance page appears.

Report Server — Database Maintenace tab

To configure settings for your Report Server, follow the instructions in the next sections.
When you are finished, click Apply to save your changes.

Verify the Current Database Size

The Database Status section shows the current size of your Report Server database in GB and the last time the size of the database was updated. You can manually refresh the Current database size value to help you make decisions about the settings for your database size.

To update the Current database size value, click Refresh.
The Current database size is updated and the Last updated value changes to the current date and time.

Configure Settings for Report Deletion

The Report Server can automatically delete reports at the times you specify. You can select how long to keep reports on the server, from a minimum of 1 day to a maximum of 365 days (one year). The default setting is 30 days. When you change the number of days to keep reports on the server, only reports that are generated after you made the change are affected by the new setting. For example, if you change the setting from 15 days to 30 days, the Report Server does not automatically generate 30 days of reports. It does, however, store reports for 30 days from the date you updated the setting. When the number of days you specify is reached, older reports are automatically deleted.

You can also set the maximum size for your Report Server database. When the server database reaches the maximum size you select, the oldest reports are deleted to make room for new reports. The Maximum database size setting overrides the setting to delete reports after the set number of days has elapsed.

If you do not specify a Maximum database size, you can enable the Report Server to send you a notification message when the database reaches the preferred size warning threshold that you specify.

If you do specify a Maximum database size, you can enable the Report Server to send you a notification message when reports are deleted.

Delete Reports on a Schedule

You can change the number of days that the Report Server keeps reports on the server and specify the time of day for the server to delete reports from the database.

In the Report deletion section:

In the Delete reports every text box, type or select the number of days to store reports on the Report Server.
To keep the size of your database small, select a smaller number of days.
In the Delete reports at text box, type or select the time of day to delete expired reports.
To enable the Report Server to send you an email notification when the Report Server database reaches a certain size, select the Send an email notification when the database reaches the preferred warning size threshold check box.
You can only select this option if you do not enable the Maximum database size setting.
In the Preferred Size text box, type the size that you want to keep the database.
This setting does not enforce a limit on the size of the database.
In the Warning threshold text box, type or select a percentage of the Preferred Size setting.
When the database reaches the percentage of the size you specify, the Report Server sends you a notification message about the size of the database.

Restrict the Database Size

When you configure the settings to restrict the size of your Report Server database, reports are deleted off the server when the server reaches the maximum database size you specify. Reports can also still be deleted after the number of days you specified in the Report deletion setting. If the database size reaches the Maximum database size setting before the specified number of days, the Report Server deletes reports to reduce the database size.

When you enable the Maximum database size setting, the Send an email notification when the database reaches the preferred warning size threshold option in the Report deletion section is disabled, and the Report Server only sends a notification message if you select the option to receive a message when reports are deleted.

To delete reports when the Report Server database reaches a certain size:

Select the Maximum database size check box.
In the text box, type the maximum size in GB for the database.
To enable the Report Server to send you a notification message when reports are deleted, select the Send an email notification when reports are deleted check box.

Configure the Database Settings

You can choose to either use the built-in PostgreSQL database that is automatically installed with your Report Server, or an external PostgreSQL database that is located on another computer. You can use any PostgreSQL database. This includes a database that was configured with another WatchGuard Report Server.

If you select to use an external PostgreSQL database, make sure your Firebox has a policy configured to allow traffic to and from the port you specify for communication with the external database. If you do not allow traffic to the external database through the specified port, the Report Server cannot connect to the external database. If the external database you select was not installed with a WatchGuard Report Server, the first time the Report Server connects to the database, it configures the structure of the database tables.

Before you configure an external database, make sure you have this information for the external database:

IP address of the computer on which the external database is installed
Port number to use to connect to the database
User name and password for the Database User

If you change the Database Settings, you must restart the Report Server for the changes to take effect.

To use the built-in PostgreSQL database:

In the Database Settings section, select Built-in database.
The default directory location for your Report Server appears in the text box. This is the location you selected when you ran the WatchGuard Server Center Setup Wizard. You cannot change this location.

To use an external PostgreSQL database:

In the Database Settings section, select External PostgreSQL database.
The external database options appear.

Screenn shot of the Report Server Database Maintenance tab (with external database settings)

In the Database Name text box, type the name of the external database.
In the IP Address text box, type the IP address of the computer where the external database is installed.
In the Port text box, type or select the port the Report Server must use to contact the external database.
In the Database User text box, type the user name the Report Server must use to contact the external database.

The text you type in the Database User and Password text boxes must not include these characters @ = , / _ ; # [ ] ‘ “ * ? ` \, and cannot be more than 64 characters.