Agent Logging and Debugging

This feature enhances Agent logging and debugging by enabling users to dynamically control the level of detailed logs, at the policy level.

By default, after ObserveIT installation, the Unix/Linux Agent creates a directory named /opt/observeit/agent/run, which is used to store the log files of all recorded sessions. Unix/Linux Agent logs are stored in the obit.log file. When the obit.log file reaches its predefined limit, rotation occurs; that is, the file content is moved to a renamed backup file, and new log and debug data is stored in the obit.log file.

Four log level options can be configured at the policy level to trace Agent activities: error, warning, info, or debug. In earlier versions of ObserveIT, all internal messages and debug information were written to the syslog. The syslog is now used to store only critical system (error log level and above) errors; all other events are written, by default, to the obit.log file, or can be configured at the policy level.

In the ObserveIT Web Console, you can configure a server policy for session logs, per endpoint (Agent) from the Configuration > Endpoints page, or by using Recording Policies to configure many endpoints (Agents) simultaneously.

This feature is supported on Unix-based server policies only.

To configure session logs with session level information using Recording Policies

  1. In the Configuration > Endpoint Management > Recording Policies page, select the required server policy template (Unix-based policy) or click Create to create a new server policy.

  2. In the Recording Policy Template page, expand the Logging & Debugging section by clicking the icon.

  3. To enable a new logging policy, select the Enable internal logs check box. (By default, this check box is selected.) If it is not selected, errors will still be reported in the syslog.

  4. In Log file path, accept the default log file path or enter a new path for storing the log files.

    Note: You can specify the file system path where the log data (and optionally, session debug data) will be stored, or you can click the Default button to store the log data in the [Default product path] which is a folder under the directory of the installed ObserveIT Agent.

  5. Specify a threshold (in MB) for the Log file rotation. Permitted values are in the range of 1-100 MB; the default is 10 MB.

  6. Select the required Log level from the drop-down list:

    • Error: includes only error conditions (default setting)

    • Warning: includes all warning conditions (plus error messages)

    • Info: informational messages (plus error and warning messages)

    • Debug: debug-level messages (plus error, warning and info messages)

  7. Click Save to save the settings.

    The log level changes automatically without the need to restart the Agent.