A destination is where a log message is sent if the filtering rules match. Similarly to sources, destinations consist of one or more drivers, each defining where and how messages are sent.

TIP: If no drivers are defined for a destination, all messages sent to the destination are discarded. This is equivalent to omitting the destination from the log statement.

To define a destination, add a destination statement to the syslog-ng configuration file using the following syntax.

destination <identifier> {
    destination-driver(params);
    destination-driver(params);
    ...
};
Example: A simple destination statement

The following destination statement sends messages to the TCP port 1999 of the 10.1.2.3 host.

destination d_demo_tcp {
    network("10.1.2.3" port(1999));
};

If name resolution is configured, you can use the hostname of the target server as well.

destination d_tcp {
    network("target_host" port(1999));
};

 Caution:

  • Do not define the same drivers with the same parameters more than once, because it will cause problems. For example, do not open the same file in multiple destinations.

  • Do not use the same destination in different log paths, because it can cause problems with most destination types. Instead, use filters and log paths to avoid such situations.

  • Sources and destinations are initialized only when they are used in a log statement. For example, syslog-ng PE starts listening on a port or starts polling a file only if the source is used in a log statement. For details on creating log statements, see Routing messages: log paths, flags, and filters.

  • Hazard of data loss! If your log files are on an NFS-mounted network file system, see Using syslog-ng PE with NFS or CIFS (or SMB) file system for log files.

The following destination driver groups are available in syslog-ng PE:

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