What is LoGrobot/logXray? LoGrobot is a powerful, fully loaded Linux/Unix Log Monitoring, Analysis & Alerting solution. It is designed to simplistically centralize the monitoring of local and remote log files. It is highly versatile and can be used to monitor and alert on all types of logs; application logs, database logs, system logs, event logs and service logs. It can monitor single and multiple log files and alerts when log patterns (single or multiple patterns) are detected. Additionally, it allows for custom log monitoring tailored to specific individual user requirements. logXray on the other hand provides on-demand graphs and automated analysis which can be used to draw out several important statistics, reveal hidden metrics and quickly isolate problematic trends. When Splunk (and similar applications) are overkill for your daily log monitoring needs, LoGrobot provides a reliable and affordable alternative!
Linux Log Monitoring ; Monitor, Alert on & Analyze Linux / Unix Log files the easy way ; Application Logs, Database logs, System Logs, Custom Logs, Any log file - Genenerate graphs automatically on all monitored logs - Trend any log file metric you desire - Utilize the versitility of LoGrobot to eliminate the tedious effort often required to configure log checks - Perform all log monitoring tasks with just one tool!
Some of the many labor saving capabilities and benefits of LoGrobot include:
Point logxray to ANY directory with just one check!
Avoid having to define separate checks for each log file
Specify the type of files to exclude / include in monitoring
Assign different thresholds for each file type
Allows passing of different thresholds to each pattern being monitored
Allows for the filtering of specific log entries to eliminate unnecessary noise
Monitor a log for a specific pattern. When that pattern is found, print X number of lines before the pattern and X number oflines after the pattern. If multiple patterns are found in the log, perform these instructions on each one of them.
WatchMonitor and alert on patterns, strings or keywords found in all logs in a specific directory. Avoid having to create different/separate logchecks for each file. Easily configure log monitoring checks on a large scale with very little effort.
WatchLog File Growth Monitoring - Monitor the growth of a log file to ensure the log is getting updates. Alert when the growth and/or growth rate of a monitored log is determined to be too slow, too fast or just stale.
WatchMonitor file size and alert if file size is greater than user specified thresholds. Generate notification alerts on logs. Monitor the size of log files of any application or database on Unix systems. Trend log file size (feature available). Works on Unix (Linux/AIX/SunOS/HP-UX/MacOS).
WatchMonitor and alert on the number of files in a specific directory. Generate notification alerts when the file count of a directory breaches user-specified thresholds. Tested on Unix (Linux/AIX/SunOS/HP-UX).
WatchTimestamp Monitor - Monitor the time stamp of single or multile logs / files on a Unix system. If the age of the file you're monitoring is older than a predetermined number of minutes, hours, days...
Watch
Other Specific
Features:
Scan / Scrape / Monitor log files for any error
Monitor all logs in a specific directory
Point logrobot to ANY directory with just one check!
Avoid having to define separate checks for each log file
Specify the type of files to exclude / include in monitoring
Automate log checks via Nagios or CRONTAB
Get email alerts & notifications on all log checks
Monitor Directory File Count***
Access documentation directly from the CLI
Monitor log files for abnormal behavior/activity
Manage log file checks from a central location
Eliminate tedious administration
Avoid cumbersome maintenances
Adapts seamlessly to any custom scenario
Supported Log Files
Will all my logs be supported?
Yes, all log types / log formats are supported.
Some of the supported log files are listed below:
Tomcat Catalina.out logs
Apache Maxclient logs
Apache access logs
Apache error logs
OutOfMemory logs
JBoss log files
Java log files
Weblogic logs
Glassfish logs
Syslog log monitor
Maillog / Postfix / Syslog log files
Mysqld / Oracle Alert logs
Log4j
NEW FEATURE: Monitor any type of
log file regardless of format
A log file monitor is a utility designed and built specifically to monitor and alert on messages produced by computer systems and the applications that run on them.
In UNIX, the monitoring of log files is absolutely necessary, and for good reason. You see, the time of a Unix Professional is valuable. Few, if any, can afford to spend hours each day scouring through the many log files that are generated by systems and network applications. However, if you fail to quickly recognize the abnormal or fatal events chronicled in these log files, entire networks can be abused and/or removed from service....which can cost your company dearly, monetarily speaking.
If you wish to monitor log files, there are basically [ 3 ] options available to you:If you embark on a journey to write your own script, you have to understand that it will be an endeavor that will take years to complete, and that's assuming you're a skilled programmer. Monitoring log files goes far beyond simply watching the contents of files for specific errors. As time goes on, there will be new requirements, changes, and continuous requests for modifications which in the end, if the developer isn't creative, can lead to an unusable script - one that is not user friendly.
If you choose to download the FREE log monitoring scripts that are available on the internet, you will quickly discover how ineffective they all are and how much work is necessary to get them to cooperate. If this is the option you choose to go with, you must ask yourself some very important questions:
The answers to these questions are usually quite depressing. Proceed with caution.
Characteristics of the Ideal Log Monitor:When searching for the right utility to use to monitor & alert on log files, what features should the perfect tool have?
The ideal log monitor must be able to scan and monitor log files in a very short period of time, preferably in seconds (no matter how big the log file is). At the very least, the perfect log monitor must be able to:
While each feature listed here is important, it is worth noting that above all else, the perfect log monitoring utility must be easy to use. Users SHOULD NEVER have to spend too much time reading documentations before being able to utilize a software. The more complex a utility is, the more likely it is to be used the wrong way or abandoned altogether. Imagine having to re-read the Instruction Guide of your Television remote control each time you wanted to use it. Can you picture the annoyance of that?
When it comes to log monitoring, ease of use is essential. I cannot stress this enough. The developer(s) must focus a great deal of effort into drastically limiting or eliminating the need for configuration files. Also, the syntax of the tool must be easily comprehensible and applicable directly from the command line. This means, if a random user were to run the tool from the command line, there shouldn"t be room for confusion. That user should be able to conveniently obtain whichever end result he/she was expecting WITHOUT having to read several pages of complex documentations or desperately scouring Google for help!
This is where the superiority of LoGrobot comes into play. LoGrobot is a commercial Log Monitoring utility that is very easy to utilize. It is robust, seasoned and efficiently versatile like no other tool. It understands the overriding significance of log alerts and focuses on ensuring only valid notifications are generated for the log files it monitors. Installation wise, LoGrobot does not require the addition of any nonnative modules or libraries to the system. Which means, you can install it freely on production/dev/qa servers without tampering with existing libraries or modules.
LoGrobot has a wide range of capabilities. It isn't limited to just scanning log file contents for errors. It can do virtually anything as long as it falls under the banner of log monitoring. Additionally, LoGrobot has years of real life situations, scenarios, possibilities and conditions built into it, which basically means it is highly unlikely you will come up with a need that hasn't already been thought of and programmed into the tool. In the unlikely event that does happen, chances are, work is already in progress to address it.
When it comes to keeping an unwavering eye on all important log files in your UNIX environment, you need ONE log monitoring tool, and LoGrobot is that tool!