LogViewer overview

Managing log files

The LogViewer is a system monitoring and troubleshooting utility that parses, formats, and displays the contents of log files.

You can use LogViewer to perform the following:

• View and filter real-time log updates.

• View, filter, and sort the entries in a static log view.

• Open compressed or uncompressed log files.

• Compare active logs in real time.

• Automatically send a notification when a specified type of entry is logged.

LogViewer is available on NFM-P main or auxiliary server stations, and on single-user client and client delegate server stations as separate GUI and CLI utilities. The GUI has more functions than the CLI, which is designed for use on a character-based console over a low-bandwidth connection such as a Telnet session.

LogViewer can interpret various log formats. The log files must be local server or database logs.

Configuration

The LogViewer GUI and CLI utilities share a set of configuration options; an option change by one utility affects the other utility. Some options apply only to the GUI.

You can customize LogViewer by creating and saving log filters and log profiles that are available to all GUI and CLI users, and can save the GUI configuration, or workspace, to have LogViewer display the currently open logs the next time it starts. LogViewer does not save the current filter and display configuration for a log when you close the log unless you export the configuration to a log profile.

Your operating configuration of LogViewer is stored in the user directory. Any filters, fonts, colors, or other preferences you have set such as location, size and splitter location, are used the next time you start the utility.

For multiple instances of LogViewer running on the same server, you can set the system environment variable LOGV_HOME to make all instances use the same properties file. In this way, properties such as filters, window location, and window size are common to all instances.

Filters

You can use the LogViewer CLI or GUI to create multiple filters that define the log entries that are displayed in a log view. A filter uses Java regular expressions as match criteria to specify which entries to display and optionally uses colors to identify the filtered entries.

Plug-ins

LogViewer supports the use of plug-ins to provide additional functionality. You can specify a plug-in for use with a specific log, or assign a default plug-in configuration that applies to the subsequently opened logs.

LogViewer has default plug-ins that can send notifications, such as e-mail messages and GUI pop-ups, when a new log entry matches a set of filter criteria. The LogViewer e-mail plug-in uses SMTP as the transport.