pmdalogger - log file performance metrics domain agent (PMDA)
$PCP_PMDAS_DIR/logger/pmdalogger [
-d domain] [
-l
logfile] [
-m memory] [
-s interval] [
-U username] [
configfile]
pmdalogger is a configurable log file monitoring Performance Metrics
Domain Agent (PMDA). It can be seen as analogous to the
-f option to
tail(1) and converts each new log line into a performance event. It was
the first PMDA to make extensive use of event metrics, which can be consumed
by client tools like
pmevent(1).
The
logger PMDA exports both event-style metrics reflecting timestamped
event records for text logged to a file (or set of files or output from a
process), as well as the more orthodox sample-style metrics such as event
counts and throughput size values.
The PMDA is configured via a
configfile which contains one line for each
source of events (file or process). This file is setup by the Install script
described in the later section on ``INSTALLATION'' of the PMDA.
A brief description of the
pmdalogger command line options follows:
- -d
- It is absolutely crucial that the performance metrics
domain number specified here is unique and consistent. That is,
domain should be different for every PMDA on the one host, and the
same domain number should be used for the same PMDA on all
hosts.
- -l
- Location of the log file. By default, a log file named
logger.log is written in the current directory of pmcd(1)
when pmdalogger is started, i.e. $PCP_LOG_DIR/pmcd. If the
log file cannot be created or is not writable, output is written to the
standard error instead.
- -m
- Limit the physical memory used by the PMDA to buffer event
records to maxsize bytes. As log events arrive at the PMDA, they
must be buffered until individual client tools request the next batch
since their previous batch of events. The default maximum is 2
megabytes.
- -s
- Sets the polling interval for detecting newly arrived log
lines. Mirrors the same option from the tail(1) command.
- -U
- User account under which to run the agent. The default is
the unprivileged "pcp" account in current versions of PCP, but
in older versions the superuser account ("root") was used by
default.
If you want access to the names, help text and values for the logger performance
metrics, do the following as root:
# cd $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/logger
# ./Install
This is an interactive installation process which prompts for each log file path
to be monitored (or command to be run), a metric instance name to identify it,
and whether access should be restricted (refer to the
-x option to
pmevent(1) for further details).
If you want to undo the installation, do the following as root:
# cd $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/logger
# ./Remove
pmdalogger is launched by
pmcd(1) and should never be executed
directly. The Install and Remove scripts notify
pmcd(1) when the agent
is installed or removed.
- $PCP_PMCDCONF_PATH
- command line options used to launch pmdalogger
- $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/logger/logger.conf
- default configuration file for the logger metrics
- $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/logger/help
- default help text file for the logger metrics
- $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/logger/Install
- installation script for the pmdalogger agent
- $PCP_PMDAS_DIR/logger/Remove
- undo installation script for the pmdalogger
agent
- $PCP_LOG_DIR/pmcd/logger.log
- default log file for error messages and other information
from pmdalogger
Environment variables with the prefix
PCP_ are used to parameterize the
file and directory names used by PCP. On each installation, the file
/etc/pcp.conf contains the local values for these variables. The
$PCP_CONF variable may be used to specify an alternative configuration
file, as described in
pcp.conf(5).
PCPIntro(1),
pmevent(1),
pmcd(1),
tail(1),
pcp.conf(5) and
pcp.env(5).