Handling too Many Logs? Try Using a Syslog Manager
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by: Sukhdeep
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Word Count: 401
Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 Time: 5:32 AM
As the saying goes – more syslogs, more problems. Okay, maybe that’s not an actual saying, but the concept still rings true when you have to be able to get at your logs really quickly. In dealing with network problems, one of the most common troubleshooting questions is, “Did you check the logs”? Yes, logs are important when things go haywire. The trouble with logs is that there are always more than one of them, they are located in out-of-the-way locations on your server, and often when you read them it feels like they are written for people who speak English but are from another planet. Add to that the logs that are generated from applications themselves, and sometimes the whole concept seems extremely disorganized. We might not be able to control the language that developers use to describe problems, but we can try to better manage the way they are utilized. That can be done using a syslog manager, which allows you to have a central repository where you can track logs, organized by priority. Having a system that alerts you when there is a problem is a great way to optimize your network monitoring. You can set up action items in a syslog manager to make sure you’re aware of potential problems before they get out of control. Even better: depending on who owns a particular server in your organization, you can set filters so that only they get alerted when there is a problem, by using the associated IP address. This is helpful in reducing redundant data sent to other engineers or analysts that don’t have the knowledge to fix the problem anyway. With all of this data coming into your syslog manager, some tools even allow you to break down information to make sure that you and other engineers aren’t spending time looking at repetitive log messages that are simply unimportant. More advanced systems even allow you to have web access, filter log messages and even customize the incoming messages so you know what they mean every time they come in, instead of trying to interpret them. Logs are a necessity of networking, and everyone has to deal with them. Make them a part of your network management tools and you’ll save time and have a quicker turnaround when problems pop up on your system.
About the Author
Sukhdeep Singh
www.solarwinds.com
