Customizing Logwatch

2006-03-08T11:53:57Z

Rd39666751: test

There are two basic customizations which we often perform:
# increase the header-information with machine-specific info (hardware, admininstrator(s), usage, etc):
# adjust the order of the information - we care very much about disk-usage, and prefer it ''first''
Start by ensuring logwatch is actually installed! A mail-transport agent (MTA) like Postfix must be installed and working (to receive the daily logwatch summary).
 
== Logwatch Headers ==
Use this template, to create '''/etc/log.d/custom_header''' (ASCII, plain-text file)
Machine info: Pentium4 2.4GHz, 1GB, GigE, 40GB+120GB, RivaTNT
Running RedHat 9 Linux
Located in Research Server Room A (Beta Space, Surrey Campus)
Used by Davis Marques <dmarques@sfu.ca>
Into service xxx. Re-purposed Dec. 15, 2004
Administered by Gordon Pritchard <gordonp+corsair@sfu.ca>
Another example:
Machine info: Pentium4 dual-core 3GHz, 2GB, GigE, 80GB, ATI-R300-mobility
Running Gentoo Linux
Located in office 525 / The Axis (Beta Space, Surrey Campus)
Used by Gordon Pritchard <gordonp+zero@sfu.ca)
Into service September 6, 2005.
Administered by Gordon Pritchard <gordonp+zero@sfu.ca>
 
To include this custom header, we now have to modify the main logwatch Perl script '''logwatch.pl''' to add the bold / red line:
* on a RedHat 9 machine, this file is /etc/log.d/scripts/logwatch.pl:
$printing = 'y';
print OUTFILE "\n ################### LogWatch $Version ($VDate) #################### \n";
print OUTFILE " Processing Initiated: " . localtime(time) . "\n";
print OUTFILE " Date Range Processed: $Config{'range'}\n";
print OUTFILE " Detail Level of Output: $Config{'detail'}\n";
print OUTFILE " Logfiles for Host: $Config{'hostname'}\n";
'''print OUTFILE "\n" . `/bin/cat $BaseDir/custom_header` . "\n";'''
print OUTFILE "################################################################ \n\n";
}
* on a Gentoo machine, this file is /usr/sbin/logwatch.pl:
outline( $index_par, "\n ################### LogWatch $Version ($VDate) #################### \n");
}
outline( $index_par, " Processing Initiated: " . localtime(time) . "\n");
outline( $index_par, " Date Range Processed: $Config{'range'}\n");
outline( $index_par, " $print_range\n") if ($Config{'range'} ne 'all');
outline( $index_par, " Period is " . GetPeriod() . ".\n")
if ($Config{'range'} ne 'all');
outline( $index_par, " Detail Level of Output: $Config{'detail'}\n");
outline( $index_par, " Type of Output: $Config{'output'}\n");
outline( $index_par, " Logfiles for Host: $Config{'hostname'}\n");
'''outline( $index_par, "\n" . `/bin/cat $BaseDir/custom_header` . "\n");'''

if ( $outtype_html or $outtype_htmlembed ) {
outline( $index_par, "\n");
} else {
outline( $index_par, "################################################################## \n");

== Logwatch Information Order ==
The scripts locate in '''/etc/log.d/scripts/services/''' are run according to their file-name ordering. Simply renaming a file changes it's relationship to other information. We should move '''zz-disk_space''' to '''aa-disk_space''' to have our disk-usage appear right after the custom header; as root:

zero services # '''mv /etc/log.d/scripts/services/zz-disk_space /etc/log.d/scripts/services/aa-disk_space'''

But wait - there's more!!
This disk-space script evolves through the various releases, often suppressing output if nothing prior is printed. And, (now) as the first entry, nothing prior will '''ever''' get printed :-O So, we'll strip out all the conditionals, and produce a pared-down script '''/etc/log.d/scripts/services/aa-disk_space''' which forever more will always give us our disk-usage as the first thing:

Gentoo:
#!/bin/bash
##########################################################################
# $Id: aa-disk_space,v 1.8 2005/02/24 17:08:05 kirk Exp $
##########################################################################

echo
df -hP | head -n1; df -hP | grep '^[/ ]'
RedHat 9:
#!/bin/bash
##########################################################################
# $Id: disk_space,v 1.1 2003/01/13 04:00:59 kirk Exp $
##########################################################################

echo
echo
echo "------------------ Disk Space --------------------"
echo
df -h
echo

One more thing to do - there is a corresponding configuration file which we simply move (rename) to align with the above:
* on both Gentoo, and RedHat 9, this file is /etc/log.d/conf/services/zz-disk_space.conf

zero # '''mv /etc/log.d/conf/services/zz-disk_space.conf /etc/log.d/conf/services/aa-disk_space.conf'''

To test it all, invoke the daily logwatch cron-job manually (Gentoo shown; others similar):

zero # '''sh /etc/cron.daily/00-logwatch'''

 
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Customizing Logwatch