Centralized log management with Graylog

Watching the Logs

Article from Issue 188/2016
Author(s): , Author(s): , Author(s):

System logs offer clues for tracking intruders and troubleshooting problems. If you're in charge of a whole network, wouldn't you rather monitor all your logs from a single central point? Graylog and its companion components let you manage all your logs from a single interface.

Logfiles chronicle the state of the system, and experienced admins know to check the logs for messages when a problem arises. If you only administer one computer and it is sitting on your desk, the task is easy. But if you're taking care of several systems on a diverse network, keeping up with all the logfiles can be a major chore.

Several commercial tools fill the role of managing and monitoring log messages across the network, but you don't have to spend big to get big-time log monitoring capabilities. This article describes how to configure network monitoring using a configuration centered around the Graylog log server.

Logging Server Architecture

Graylog is an open source log management tool, providing central storage, processing, and analysis of log messages from servers, clients, or network devices. The Graylog log server is based on Java and offers a means for combining several server nodes in a cluster for high availability and scalability.

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Download Article PDF now with Express Checkout
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
Print Issues
Digital Issues
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Print Subscriptions
Digital Subscriptions

Related content

  • Perl – Analyzing Log Data

    Splunk has mastered the art of finding truly relevant messages in huge amounts of log data. Perlmeister Mike Schilli throws his system messages at the feet of a proprietary analysis tool and teaches the free version an enterprise feature.

    more »
  • Integrity Measurement Architecture

    The Integrity Measurement Architecture adds important details to your audit logs, making it easier to track an intruder's footprints.

    more »
  • auditctl

    Use the kernel auditing system to set watches on critical files and system calls and log the activity for later anaylsis.

    more »
  • ELK Stack

    A powerful search engine, a tool for processing and normalizing protocols, and another for visualizing the results – Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana form the ELK stack, which helps admins manage logfiles on high-volume systems.

    more »
  • ELK Stack Workshop

    ELK Stack is a powerful monitoring system known for efficient log management and versatile visualization. This hands-on workshop will help you take your first steps with setting up your own ELK Stack monitoring solution.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Mobile Programming Security Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source