Getting Started with Logs

Install Rsyslog

1. For Debian/Ubuntu:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install rsyslog

2. For RHEL/CentOS:

   sudo yum install rsyslog
   sudo systemctl enable rsyslog
   sudo systemctl start rsyslog

Verify that rsyslog is running:

sudo systemctl status rsyslog

Configure forwarding

Edit the rsyslog configuration file (usually /etc/rsyslog.conf or /etc/rsyslog.d/*.conf).

1. Open the configuration file:

   sudo nano /etc/rsyslog.conf

2. Enable TCP forwarding by adding *.* @@remote-server-ip:514 to the config:

   # /etc/rsyslog.conf configuration file for rsyslog
   #
   # For more information install rsyslog-doc and see
   # /usr/share/doc/rsyslog-doc/html/configuration/index.html
   #
   # Default logging rules can be found in /etc/rsyslog.d/50-default.conf
   
   
   #################
   #### MODULES ####
   #################
   
   *.* @@<YOUR-ASCENT-ENV>:514

3. Save your changes and restart rsyslog

   sudo systemctl restart rsyslog

Verify ingestion in Ascent

On your server, use logger to log a custom message which you can track easily in order to verify ingestion has been successful.

1. Use the logger command to trigger a custom log entry:

   logger "This is a test message from $(hostname)"

   It might take a slight moment for this entry to appear in the Ascent platform, so if it doesn’t show up immediately, give it a moment and check again.

2. In your Ascent platform, navigate to Explore > Logs & Insights

3. In the filter view, search for namespace default_namespace. Then look for your username which generated the custom log entry, and click on it.

4. This view should only display the custom log entry generated earlier