Add log files manually

Starting with OneAgent version 1.251 and Dynatrace Cluster version 1.254, we strongly encourage you to switch to Custom log source configuration, which has many advantages over manual log file addition.

With the release of Dynatrace version 1.285 (March 2024), Dynatrace will automatically convert your log source and log storage configurations to the latest version.

You can also upgrade to the new configuration by selecting Upgrade configuration. All of your current settings will be fully upgraded.

The upgraded configuration (see Log ingest rules) defined on the Custom log source configuration and Log sources and storage pages will give you:

  • Greater flexibility in defining log sources (for example, log path, log level, Kubernetes namespace, Kubernetes deployment)
  • Flexibility in defining log sources (using environment, host group, and host scopes)
  • Granularity in managing log source access rights
  • Use of the REST API for managing log sources
  • Ability to filter and mask log data at capture

Dynatrace allows you to add specific log files manually in instances where the files aren't discovered automatically. You only need to add one log path at the process-group level to cover all processes within the group across all monitored hosts.

Adding log file to process group

To manually add a log file to a process group

  1. In Dynatrace, go to Technologies & Processes or Technologies & Processes Classic (latest Dynatrace) and select a process group.
  2. From the process group page, select the process instance for which you want to add a new log file.
  3. In the Log files section of the page, select the Configure more log files link.
    Alternatively, look for the No log sources detected section if no log files are associated with the process.
  4. On the Process group settings page, select the Log monitoring tab.
  5. Select Add new log for monitoring.
  6. Type the file path of the log file to be associated with this process group. Only absolute paths are allowed.
  7. Select Save.

Windows event logs

Standard Windows event logs are already automatically detected, so you don't have to manually add the following:

  • Windows Security Log
  • Windows Application Log
  • Windows System Log
  • IIS Event Logs

To manually add a custom Windows event log file to a process

  1. In Dynatrace, go to Hosts.

  2. Select the host that contains the Windows event log file.

  3. From the Processes section of the overview of the host page, select the process for which you want to add a new log file.
    Optionally, go to Technologies & Processes or Technologies & Processes Classic (latest Dynatrace), select a process group, and then, from the process group page, select the process instance for which you want to add a new log file.

  4. In the Log files section, select Add more.

  5. On the Manually added process logs page, select Add new log for monitoring

  6. Provide the log name followed by the .evtx file extension.
    You can use the built-in Windows Event Viewer to find the custom log name. Make sure that you provide the full path.

    As in the following example, you can display the log name by right-clicking on the chosen event log and selecting Properties:

    Windows event viewer properties screen.

    Copy the Full Name:

    Windows viewer log properties.

  7. Select Save.

Set up permissions on Network File System (NFS)

When handling logs on NFS, access permissions are strictly enforced. This is true despite the increased capabilities of OneAgent, which allow it to access local files without having to read permissions for the dtuser user.

To allow OneAgent to process and ingest NFS-mounted resources:

  • Every non-local directory along the path needs to have at least the read and execute permissions set.
  • Every log file needs to have the read permission set.

Example log file to add:

/mnt/nfs/logs/app1/test.log
where /mnt/nfs is mounted to an external NFS resource.

In this scenario, both /mnt/nfs/logs and /mnt/nfs/logs/app1 need r-xpermissions for 'others', and every test.log.* file needs r-- permissions for 'others' as shown below:

$ ls -l /mnt/nfs
drwxr-xr-x 3 1001 1002 4096 Sep 8 17:11 logs
$ ls -l /mnt/nfs/log
drwxr-xr-x 3 1001 1002 4096 Sep 8 17:11 app1
$ ls -l /mnt/nfs/logs/app1
-rw-rw-r-- 3 1001 1002 100 Jul 19 14:22 test.log
-rw-rw-r-- 3 1001 1002 100 Jul 19 14:23 test.log.1
-rw-rw-r-- 3 1001 1002 100 Jul 19 14:24 test.log.2

Considerations for adding text log files manually

Dynatrace supports log files that were updated (written to) in the last 7 days AND contain a full path name AND meet at least one of the additonal criteria:

  • Files are located in a directory called log or logs (up to 2 levels) or /var/log/.
    OK (level 1):
    c:\...\logs\custom.txt
    c:\...\log\custom.txt

    OK (level 2):
    c:\...\logs\app1\custom.txt
    c:\...\log\app2\custom.txt

    NOT OK (level 3 and above):
    c:\...\logs\app1\app11\custom.txt
    c:\...\log\app2\app22\custom.txt

  • Custom log path must specify files, not a directory:
    NOT OK:
    /var/log/customdir/

  • Files have the extension .log, -log, _log (for example, apache.log, apache.myapp-log, apache.myapp_log)

  • Every file that has other extension, such as .txt, is supported if its names contains the .log, -log, or _log prefix that is preceded by at least one character or symbol (for example, apache.log.txt, apache-log.txt, or apache_log.txt)

    The log.txt alone file is not accepted (unless placed in the log or logs directory).

  • File name is catalina.out

Only file names that contain a full path are correct. Therefore, AlertServiceLog.log is rejected despite meeting other criteria, but c:\customdir\AlertServiceLog.log is accepted.

Additionally:

  • Custom log paths files can start or end with a wildcard ( * ). OK:
    /var/log/customdir/*
    /var/log/customdir/file*
    /var/log/customdir/*.log

  • You can add a group of logs (a fileset) by using the asterisk character (*) within the file name.
    For example, /var/log/error-*.log will match error-1.log, error-some-ID.log, etc., and report the fileset as a single error-*.log file.

Custom log paths

Make sure the log files are added to log storage after you configure custom log paths. See Log sources and storage (Logs Classic)

Example:
If you have a file named AlertServiceLog.txt, the above scenarios apply as shown in the table:

File

Accepted?

Reason

AlertServiceLog.txt

NOT OK

Does not contain a full path.

c:\customdir\AlertServiceLog.txt

NOT OK

Contains a full path, but no additional requirement met.

c:…\log\AlertServiceLog.txt

OK

1st level requirement met.

c:…\log\app2\AlertServiceLog.txt

OK

2nd level requirement met.

c:…\log\app2\app22\AlertServiceLog.txt

NOT OK

level > 2

c:\customdir\file.log

OK

.log extension

c:\customdir\file-log

OK

-log extension

/var/log/customdir/AlertServiceLog_log*

OK

Wild card is accepted (if at least one additional criterion is met, here: _log extension).

c:\customdir\AlertServiceLog.log.txt

OK

.log present in a file with .txt extension

c:\customdir\AlertServiceLog_log.txt

OK

_log present in a file with .txt extension

c:\customdir\AlertServiceLog-log.txt

OK

-log present in a file with .txt extension

Additionally:

  • Only absolute file paths are supported:
    • Unix: Path must begin with /.
      Paths within the following folders are not supported:
    etc
    boot
    proc
    dev
    bin
    sbin
    lib
    usr
    .ssh
    • Windows: Path must begin with drive letter (for example, C:\ ).
      Paths within the following folders are not supported:
    windows
    winnt
  • Manually added log files affect all processes on all hosts belonging to the configured process group.
  • To add log files located in a container:
  1. Configure the container so that the log file within the container is written to a disk.
  2. Point the OneAgent to this location by defining the absolute path to where the container is to write the log files.

  • You can add numbered rotating-log filesets by using the hash character (#).
    For example, /var/log/error-#.log will match error-1.log, error-2.log, etc., and report the fileset as a single error-#.log file.

  • You can globally disable the option to configure custom log files by setting:
    AppLogRemoteConfiguration = false

    On Linux:
    /var/lib/dynatrace/oneagent/agent/config/ruxitagentloganalytics.conf

    On Windows:
    %PROGRAMDATA%\dynatrace\oneagent\agent\config\ruxitagentloganalytics.conf

Use template

If your OneAgent installation, freshly installed or upgraded, does not have the ruxitagentloganalytics.conf file, use ruxitagentloganalytics.conf.template as a template and create your own ruxitagentloganalytics.conf file. Next, copy the ruxitagentloganalytics.conf file to the following directory:

  • Linux: /var/lib/dynatrace/oneagent/agent/config/
  • Windows: %PROGRAMDATA%\dynatrace\oneagent\agent\config\