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syslog-ng Open Source Edition 3.33 - Administration Guide

Preface Introduction to syslog-ng The concepts of syslog-ng Installing syslog-ng The syslog-ng OSE quick-start guide The syslog-ng OSE configuration file source: Read, receive, and collect log messages
How sources work default-network-drivers: Receive and parse common syslog messages internal: Collecting internal messages file: Collecting messages from text files wildcard-file: Collecting messages from multiple text files linux-audit: Collecting messages from Linux audit logs network: Collecting messages using the RFC3164 protocol (network() driver) nodejs: Receiving JSON messages from nodejs applications mbox: Converting local email messages to log messages osquery: Collect and parse osquery result logs pipe: Collecting messages from named pipes pacct: Collecting process accounting logs on Linux program: Receiving messages from external applications python: writing server-style Python sources python-fetcher: writing fetcher-style Python sources snmptrap: Read Net-SNMP traps sun-streams: Collecting messages on Sun Solaris syslog: Collecting messages using the IETF syslog protocol (syslog() driver) system: Collecting the system-specific log messages of a platform systemd-journal: Collecting messages from the systemd-journal system log storage systemd-syslog: Collecting systemd messages using a socket tcp, tcp6, udp, udp6: Collecting messages from remote hosts using the BSD syslog protocol— OBSOLETE unix-stream, unix-dgram: Collecting messages from UNIX domain sockets stdin: Collecting messages from the standard input stream
destination: Forward, send, and store log messages
amqp: Publishing messages using AMQP collectd: sending metrics to collectd elasticsearch2: Sending messages directly to Elasticsearch version 2.0 or higher (DEPRECATED) elasticsearch-http: Sending messages to Elasticsearch HTTP Bulk API file: Storing messages in plain-text files graphite: Sending metrics to Graphite Sending logs to Graylog hdfs: Storing messages on the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) Posting messages over HTTP http: Posting messages over HTTP without Java kafka: Publishing messages to Apache Kafka (Java implementation) kafka(): Publishing messages to Apache Kafka (C implementation, using the librdkafka client) loggly: Using Loggly logmatic: Using Logmatic.io mongodb: Storing messages in a MongoDB database mqtt() destination: sending messages from a local network to an MQTT broker network: Sending messages to a remote log server using the RFC3164 protocol (network() driver) osquery: Sending log messages to osquery's syslog table pipe: Sending messages to named pipes program: Sending messages to external applications pseudofile() python: writing custom Python destinations redis: Storing name-value pairs in Redis riemann: Monitoring your data with Riemann slack: Sending alerts and notifications to a Slack channel smtp: Generating SMTP messages (email) from logs snmp: Sending SNMP traps Splunk: Sending log messages to Splunk sql: Storing messages in an SQL database stomp: Publishing messages using STOMP Sumo Logic destinations: sumologic-http() and sumologic-syslog() syslog: Sending messages to a remote logserver using the IETF-syslog protocol syslog-ng(): Forward logs to another syslog-ng node tcp, tcp6, udp, udp6: Sending messages to a remote log server using the legacy BSD-syslog protocol (tcp(), udp() drivers) Telegram: Sending messages to Telegram unix-stream, unix-dgram: Sending messages to UNIX domain sockets usertty: Sending messages to a user terminal: usertty() destination Write your own custom destination in Java or Python Client-side failover
log: Filter and route log messages using log paths, flags, and filters Global options of syslog-ng OSE TLS-encrypted message transfer template and rewrite: Format, modify, and manipulate log messages parser: Parse and segment structured messages db-parser: Process message content with a pattern database (patterndb) Correlating log messages Enriching log messages with external data Statistics of syslog-ng Multithreading and scaling in syslog-ng OSE Troubleshooting syslog-ng Best practices and examples The syslog-ng manual pages Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd) License Glossary

Preface

Welcome to the syslog-ng Open Source Edition 3.33 Administration Guide.

This document describes how to configure and manage syslog-ng Open Source Edition (syslog-ng OSE). Background information for the technology and concepts used by the product is also discussed.

Summary of contents

Introduction to syslog-ng describes the main functionality and purpose of syslog-ng OSE.

The concepts of syslog-ng discusses the technical concepts and philosophies behind syslog-ng OSE.

Installing syslog-ng describes how to install syslog-ng OSE on various UNIX-based platforms using the precompiled binaries.

The syslog-ng OSE quick-start guide provides a briefly explains how to perform the most common log collecting tasks with syslog-ng OSE.

The syslog-ng OSE configuration file discusses the configuration file format and syntax in detail, and explains how to manage large-scale configurations using included files and reusable configuration snippets.

source: Read, receive, and collect log messages explains how to collect and receive log messages from various sources.

destination: Forward, send, and store log messages describes the different methods to store and forward log messages.

log: Filter and route log messages using log paths, flags, and filters explains how to route and sort log messages, and how to use filters to select specific messages.

Global options of syslog-ng OSE lists the global options of syslog-ng OSE and explains how to use them.

TLS-encrypted message transfer shows how to secure and authenticate log transport using TLS encryption.

template and rewrite: Format, modify, and manipulate log messages describes how to customize message format using templates and macros, how to rewrite and modify messages, and how to use regular expressions.

parser: Parse and segment structured messages describes how to segment and process structured messages like comma-separated values.

db-parser: Process message content with a pattern database (patterndb) explains how to identify and process log messages using a pattern database.

Correlating log messages explains how to correlate log messages that match a set of filters or that are identified using a pattern database.

Enriching log messages with external data explains how to import data from external sources to include in the log messages, thus extending, enriching, and complementing the data found in the log message.

Statistics of syslog-ng details the available statistics that syslog-ng OSE collects about the processed log messages.

Multithreading and scaling in syslog-ng OSE describes how to configure syslog-ng OSE to use multiple processors, and how to optimize its performance.

Troubleshooting syslog-ng offers tips to solving problems.

Best practices and examples gives recommendations to configure special features of syslog-ng OSE.

The syslog-ng manual pages contains the manual pages of the syslog-ng OSE application.

Third-party contributions includes the text of the licenses applicable to syslog-ng Open Source Edition.

Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd) License includes the text of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd) License applicable to The syslog-ng Open Source Edition 3.33 Administrator Guide.

Target audience and prerequisites

This guide is intended for system administrators and consultants responsible for designing and maintaining logging solutions and log centers. It is also useful for IT decision makers looking for a tool to implement centralized logging in heterogeneous environments.

The following skills and knowledge are necessary for a successful syslog-ng administrator:

  • At least basic system administration knowledge.

  • An understanding of networks, TCP/IP protocols, and general network terminology.

  • Working knowledge of the UNIX or Linux operating system.

  • In-depth knowledge of the logging process of various platforms and applications.

  • An understanding of the legacy syslog (BSD-syslog) protocol and the new syslog (IETF-syslog) protocol standard.

Summary of changes

This section lists the most recent changes of syslog-ng Open Source Edition (syslog-ng OSE).

Version 3.29 - 3.30

  • New template function: filter()

    From version 3.30, the syslog-ng OSE application supports using the filter() template function, which runs the filter expression on each element of a given list, and returns only those list elements that meet the requirements of the filter expression.

    For more information, see the description of the filter() template function.

  • New option for systemd-journal() source: namespace()

    From version 3.30, the syslog-ng OSE application supports using the namespace() option for the systemd-journal() source, which works exactly the same way as the respective option of the Journalctl command line tool.

    For more information, see the description of the namespace() option.

  • Local timezone STD format supported for %z format element in date-parser()

    From version 3.30, the syslog-ng OSE application supports using the local timezone STD format for the %z format element of date-parser().

    For more information, see Options of date-parser() parsers.

Version 3.28 - 3.29

  • New parser: panos-parser()

    From version 3.29, the syslog-ng OSE application supports the panos-parser() parser as SCL.

    For more information, see panos-parser(): parsing PAN-OS log messages.

  • New PCRE flag: dupnames

    From version 3.29, the syslog-ng OSE application supports using the dupnames flag to be used in PCRE expressions, allowing duplicate names for named subpatterns.

    For more information, see the description of the dupnames PCRE flag.

Version 3.27-3.28
Version 3.26-3.27

  • New destinations: sumologic-http() and sumologic-syslog()

    From version 3.27, the syslog-ng OSE application can send logs to Sumo Logic through the sumologic-http() and sumologic-syslog() destinations.

    For more information about the sumologic-http() and sumologic-syslog() destinations, see Sumo Logic destinations: sumologic-http() and sumologic-syslog().

  • New rewrite function: set-facility()

    From version 3.27, the syslog-ng OSE application supports using the set-facility() rewrite function to change the syslog facility associated with the message.

    For more information, see Setting the facility field with the set-facility() rewrite function.

  • New parameter: ca-dir()

    From syslog-ng OSE version 3.27, you can use the ca-dir() parameter for the tls() option for the network() source to set a bundled CA-file for peer-verification.

  • New macros

    From syslog-ng OSE version 3.27, three new macros are available:

    • $DESTIP

    • $DESTPORT

    • $PROTO

    For more information, see Macros of syslog-ng OSE and Example use case: using the $DESTIP, the $DESTPORT, and the $PROTO macros.

  • Arrow syntax support (Java and Python options)

    From version 3.27, syslog-ng OSE supports the "arrow" syntax for declaring custom Python and Java options in your configuration.

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