Re: Custom log file

[Jan-Henrik Haukeland]

I have some comments. First, I strongly encourage you to try and  
refactor the current log implementation. If you have to delete all of  
the old log.c file, that's fine - no problem, but please let's try  
*not* to have two implementations or ways to log in monit. I  
understand that it is easier to bypass the old code, but in the long  
run it is easier for us to maintain one code base for logging and it  
is easier for users to have one way to setup logging.

Other comments,

a) Support syslog, by either using the old code or add new code
b) Make the default log format the same as the old format used in  
monit. That is, if no log format was specified, the old format is used.
c) Drop "set customlog" and use the standard "set logfile" and  
support the syslog keyword
d) Drop "set customlog format" and use [set logformat "..."] You  
could or probably should have a condensed version like [set logfile / 
var/logs/monit.log and use logformat "..."]

Both c and d above is based on that we should only have one way to  
setup logging in monit.

I can understand why you will want to add a severity and maybe an  
alarmdid to a certain event, as suggested here,

check host localhost with address 127.0.0.1
   if failed port 80 protocol http then
      alert and log "message" alarmid 33 severity warning

This looks OK to me and I cannot see how this could be done better?  
If you, behind the scene go the extra mile and make "log" a real  
event like alert, exec and so on, you will also have (almost)  
implemented this planed feature, http://www.tildeslash.com/monit/doc/ 
next.php#21 which would be great :-) Another thing, if "message"  
should be part of this log statement, it should probably also  
override the default message generated by monit when this event is  
logged?

Other than that, this very looks promising!


On 10. mai. 2005, at 19.49, Marco Ermini wrote:

> Sorry for the cross-post. I was not sure which lists was the best  
> to ask...
>
> I am implementing the custom log feature for monit. I am doing it very
> tight to my needs, however since I am doing it, I think is it worth
> asking if someone wants some different features, or maybe tell me that
> I am going in the wrong way.
>
> I am not changing the "standard" log file; I find it better (for
> compatibility issues and simplicity, too) to implement a new log file
> which would be possible to customize.
>
> The keywords I programmed were two "set" statements and an extension
> of the "event" case:
>
> 1) set customlog <PATH> (i.e /var/log/custommonit.log)
>
> It creates the custom log file in a similar way than the "normal" log
> file - the only difference is that it cannot be syslog (could it be
> useful? I don't think so).
>
> 2) set customlog format <STRING> (default "%D, %T, %A, %S, %M, %T")
>
> The format will use the following substitutions; %D=date, %T=time,
> %A=alarm-number, %S=severity, %M=message text, %T=event type
> (suggestions for other substitutions are welcome).
>
> Then I added the possibility to specify a custom log for every event
> which could occurs, to populate the custom log with the appropriate
> string whichever events occurs. I.e.:
>
> check host localhost with address 127.0.0.1
>    if failed port 80 protocol http then alert log "message" alarmid 33
> severity warning
>    if failed port 8080 type tcp then alert else if recovered then
> unmonitor log "message" alarmid auto severity warning
>
> the keywords I added are:
>
> log = to be inserted AFTER the "then" statement or "recovered"
> statement, if present
>
> alarmid = Numerical ID which unequivocal identifies an alarm. It will
> be used to correlate alarm events with clear events (recovers). The
> alarm and the correspondent clear will have the same ID, only that the
> clear will have severity=normal. If you specify alarmid=auto monit
> will use a
>
> severity = must be on of the following: NORMAL WARNING MINOR MAJOR
> CRITICAL FATAL - "normal" should be used to clear an alarm and is
> automatically used in the case of recover, but monit will not really
> check whichever severity you choose - this is up to you.
>
>
> Of course it follows the logic of my particular needs (although it
> should be useful to many people here), but if someone have a request,
> since I am already digging into the CVS code... just ask :-)
>
>
> Regards.
> --
> Marco Ermini

--
Jan-Henrik Haukeland
Mobil +47 97141255