This section describes the risks of using syslog-ng PE with NFS or CIFS file system.
NOTE: All information referring to the CIFS network file system in this section automatically applies to the SMB network file system as well. As a result, even if the content of this section only refers to the CIFS file system, keep in mind that the same information also applies to SMB file systems as well.
|
|
Caution:
Hazard of data loss!
The syslog-ng PE application does not support storing the disk-buffer files on any kind of network share (that is, NFS, CIFS, and so on). To avoid crashes, data corruption, or data loss, One Identity does not recommend storing your disk-buffer files on network share. |
If there is any issue with the NFS or CIFS connection (for example, connection loss, the NFS or CIFS server stops), syslog-ng PE can stop working. These NFS-related or CIFS-related issues can be related to the operating system, and can also vary depending on the operating system's patch level and kernel version. The possible effects include the following:
-
The syslog-ng PE application freezes, does not respond, does not process logs, is unable to stop or reload, and you can stop it only using the kill -9 command.
-
The syslog-ng PE application cannot start, and hangs during startup.
-
Message loss or message duplication.
-
Message becomes corrupt (it is not lost, but the message or some parts of it contain garbage).
-
When using the logstore() destination, the logstore file becomes corrupt.
-
On some RHEL-based systems (possibly depending on the kernel version too), NFS returns NULL characters when reading a file that another process is writing at the very same moment.
This section lists the recommendations for using syslog-ng Premium Edition (syslog-ng PE) with NFS or CIFS file system.
NOTE: All information referring to the CIFS network file system in this section automatically applies to the SMB network file system as well. As a result, even if the content of this section only refers to the CIFS file system, keep in mind that the same information also applies to SMB file systems as well.
|
|
Caution:
When you use NFS with syslog-ng PE, One Identity recommends the following:
-
DO NOT install syslog-ng PE on an NFS-mounted partition.
-
DO NOT store the runtime files (for example, the configuration or the persist file) of syslog-ng PE on an NFS-mounted partition.
-
DO NOT use a logstore on an NFS-mounted partition. It can easily become corrupted.
|
|
|
Caution:
When you use CIFS with syslog-ng PE, One Identity recommends the following:
-
DO NOT install syslog-ng PE on a CIFS-mounted partition.
-
DO NOT store the runtime files (for example, the configuration or the persist file) of syslog-ng PE on a CIFS-mounted partition.
-
DO NOT use a logstore on a CIFS-mounted partition. It can easily become corrupted.
|
If you cannot avoid using NFS with syslog-ng PE, note the following points.
-
USE at least NFS v4 (or newer if available).
-
USE the soft mount option (-o soft) to mount the partition.
-
USE the TCP mount option (-o tcp) to mount the partition.
This chapter explains how to install syslog-ng Premium Edition on the supported platforms using the precompiled binary files.
-
The syslog-ng PE application features a unified installer package with identical look on every supported Linux and UNIX platforms. The generic installer, as well as platform-specific installers, for example, RPM, is described in the following sections.
The syslog-ng PE binaries include all required libraries and dependencies of syslog-ng PE. Only the ncurses library is required as an external dependency (syslog-ng PE itself does not use the ncurses library, it is required only during the installation). The components are installed into the /opt/syslog-ng directory. It can automatically reuse existing configuration and license files, and also generate a simple configuration automatically into the /opt/syslog-ng/etc/syslog-ng.conf file.
NOTE: There are two versions of every binary release. The one with the compact suffix does not include SQL support. If you are installing syslog-ng PE in client or relay mode, or you do not use the sql() source or destination, use the compact binaries. That way no unnecessary components are installed to your system.
The syslog-ng PE application can be installed interactively following the on-screen instructions as described in Installing syslog-ng using the .run installer, and also without user interaction using the silent installation option — see Installing syslog-ng PE without user-interaction.
NOTE: When setting up a virtual environment, carefully consider the configuration aspects such as CPU, memory availability, I/O subsystem, and network infrastructure to ensure the virtual layer has the necessary resources available. Please consult One Identity's Product Support Policies for more information on environment virtualization.
