Output pbm-agent logs to a file

Version added: 2.8.0

By default, each pbm-agent writes its logs to the following paths:

• the admin.pbmLogs PBM Control collection which serves as the centralized logging storage
• STDERR stream on the each host where the agent is running

You can configure every pbm-agent to output logging information to a file at a custom path. This enhancement enables you to achieve the following:

• optimize system logging as the pbm-agent logs are stored in a separate file and don’t mix with other system logs
• introduce the log rotation policy for the effective usage of the storage space
• simplify the log collection process for further analysis
• comply with the logging and auditing requirements by storing logs in a secure location for the required period

Logging configuration definition

You can define a logging configuration when you start a pbm-agent as follows:

• using the command line flags. This setting has the highest priority and overrides other setup options.
• using environment variables
• via the configuration file. This setting is available starting with version 2.9.0.

Logging configuration options

The logging configuration options are:

Environment variable	Command line flag	Configuration file option	Description
LOG_PATH	--log-path	log.path	The path to the log file. The file is created if it doesn’t exist. The default value is /dev/stderr which means that the logs are written to the standard error output.
LOG_LEVEL	--log-level	log.level	The log severity level. Supported levels are (from low to high): D - Debug (default), I - Info, W - Warning, E - Error, F - Fatal. The output includes both the specified severity level and all higher ones
LOG_JSON	--log-json	log.json	Output log messages in JSON format. If undefined, logs are written in the default text format.

Example

Start the pbm-agent on every node with the following command:

Command line Environment variables Configuration file

$ pbm-agent --log-path=/var/log/pbm-agent.log --log-level=W --log-json

$ export LOG_PATH=/var/log/pbm-agent.log
$ export LOG_LEVEL=W
$ export LOG_JSON=1
$ pbm-agent

1. Create a configuration file. For example, /etc/pbm-agent.yaml

   /etc/pbm-agent.yaml

   log:
      path: "/var/log/pbm.json"
      level: "I"
      json: true
   

2. Start the pbm-agent:

   $ pbm-agent -f /etc/pbm-agent.yaml
   

If PBM cannot write to the specified file due to some error, it falls back to the STDERR stream. And you can always retrieve the logging information using the pbm logs command.

This ability to output logs to a file at a custom path enhances log management, making it easier to monitor and audit PBM operations effectively, and facilitates regulatory compliance.

Configuration reload

You can dynamically change the log level and output format via the configuration file.

Update the desired options in the configuration file. PBM detects the changes and applies them saving you from restarting the agent.

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Last update: February 20, 2025
Created: February 20, 2025