Rsyslog, Filebeat, or Winlogbeat data input configuration fields
Summarize
Summary of Rsyslog, Filebeat, or Winlogbeat Data Input Configuration Fields
This guide provides essential information on configuring data inputs for Rsyslog, Filebeat, and Winlogbeat within ServiceNow. Proper configuration ensures efficient log streaming and integration with the Health Log Analytics platform.
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Key Features
- Data Input Name: A required field to specify the name of the data input.
- Description: A brief overview of the data input's purpose.
- MID Server: Select a compatible MID Server for log streaming; only those with log ingestion capabilities will be listed.
- Port: Specify an available port on the MID Server; ensure it is opened by your security team.
- Path: Define the complete log path, which can include wildcards.
- Service Instance: Required binding of log data to a service instance, which must be operational.
- Component: Identify the device type or stack layer for context in logs.
- Source Type: Specify how the system handles log data for specific applications.
Advanced Configuration
For Rsyslog data inputs, options such as using SSL/TLS, DNS lookup for IP resolution, and specifying thread counts for managing connections and incoming data are available. Default values include:
- Default Timezone: GMT
- Max Length in Bytes: 32766
- Character Encoding: UTF-8
For Beats data inputs, similar configurations are available, with defaults including a client inactivity timeout of 15 seconds and options to drop logs if the MID Server queue is full.
Key Outcomes
By correctly configuring these fields, ServiceNow customers can ensure effective log ingestion and analysis, facilitating better anomaly detection, correlation, and overall operational visibility within their services.
Description of the fields on the Rsyslog, Filebeat, and Winlogbeat data input configuration forms.
Basic configuration
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Data input name | Name of the new data input. This field is required. |
| Description | Description of the data input. |
| MID Server | The MID Server to which the logs stream. Note: This field is required.
|
| Port | The port on the MID Server. Choose a port within the suggested range from the array. The port must not be occupied by another process. Make sure that your organization’s security team opens the selected port. This field is required. |
| Content pack | (Linux using Filebeat only) The content pack to use. Content packs contain default source types and mapping script templates. Health Log Analytics activates the selected pack automatically and uses its mapping script for mapping the data input sources. For more information, see Health Log Analytics content packs for quicker time to value. |
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Path | The full path from which to stream logs. You can use a wildcard. This field is required. |
| Service instance | The service instance to which to bind the log data. This field is required. Note: If no relevant service instance exists, Create an service instance and add CIs to it. Set the status of the new service instance
to Operational. |
| Component | The device type or stack layer as context for the logs that is used for
anomaly detection and correlation. For example: Tomcat. Components typically represent CIs in the CMDB. Several components are often clustered together in a single service instance. |
| Source Type | The source type, which defines how Health Log Analytics
handles a specific application and parses the log data. For example: Tomcat
Catalina. Each data input can have multiple source types, based on the diversity of its log formats. Service instances and components can have any number of source types. |
Advanced configuration
For Rsyslog data inputs:
| Field | Description | Default values |
|---|---|---|
| Use SSL/TLS | Option to use SSL/TLS. | |
| Look up hostnames | Option to perform DNS lookup to resolve IPs to hostnames. | false |
| Boss thread count | The number of threads that manage connections. | 1 |
| Worker thread count | The number of threads that handle incoming data. | 4 |
| Read timeout seconds | The timeout in seconds since the last read. When the timeout expires, the system closes the channel. | 30 |
| Default timezone | The default time zone of events. The system uses this default when the log does not specify a time zone. | GMT |
| Sub sample drop ratio | The ratio of events to drop. | -1 |
| Sub sample receive ratio | The ratio of events to receive. | -1 |
| Max length in bytes | The maximum length of log messages in bytes. | 32766 |
| Character encoding | The character encoding for this data input. | UTF-8 |
| Drop if queue is full | Option to discard logs if there is a load on the MID Server. |
For data inputs that use Beats agents:
| Field | Description | Default value |
|---|---|---|
| Client inactivity timeout (sec) | The timeout, in seconds, to close an inactive channel. | 15 |
| Worker thread count | The number of threads that handle incoming data. | 4 |
| Default time zone | The default time zone of events. The system uses this default when the log does not specify a time zone. | GMT |
| Sub sample drop ratio | The ratio of events to drop. | -1 |
| Sub sample receive ratio | The ratio of events to receive. | -1 |
| Max length in bytes | The maximum length of log messages, in bytes. | 32766 |
| Character encoding | The character encoding for this data input. | UTF-8 |
| Drop if queue is full | Option to discard logs if there is a load on the MID Server. | false |