The Generic Log Adapter allows you to process application log files and transform their contents into the Common Base Event format. The Common Base Event specification prescribes a common format for logging, management, problem determination, and autonomic computing. It provides a consistent format that facilitates intercommunication between tools that support these goals. Common Base Event objects allow you to develop a common prescriptive event in a consistent format so that tools can be developed to support these goals.
In order to take advantage of tools such as the Log and Trace Analyzer that support Common Base Event objects, your application log files need to conform to the Common Base Event format. To produce application log records that conform, you can do one of the following:
The first approach is impractical unless the application is currently being developed. This approach does not solve the problem of integrating existing applicatin logs with the Common Base Event format.
The second approach is more practical. However, it leaves you with the tedious task of writing the transform. Typically, this is accomplished by either writing some custom code in either a third-generation programming language or a script that can be used by established scripting tools such as Perl. Once the transform is created, test the transform and integrate the transform solution into the tools that use Common Base Event objects.
The Generic Log Adapter simplifies the adoption of the Common Base Event format. The Adapter Configuration Editor and the runtime are components provided by the Generic Log Adapter that will help you create and test transforms quickly. The editor allows you to write the transforms using Java or script fragments using regular expressions (such as Perl) to describe the mapping of log file content to Common Base Event attributes. You can also test your script fragments as you write the regular expression scripts in the editor. The runtime takes as inputs the rules that you have written and your log file and produces Common Base Event objects as outputs. The Generic Log Adapter allows you to directly integrate your transform with the Log and Trace Analyzer tool that is used to analyze Common Base Event records.
Related Concepts
Common Base Event format specification
Related tasks
Creating a log parser
Creating a static adapter
Creating a rules-based adapter
Creating an adapter for external logging
Related references
Adapter Configuration File structure
Adapter Configuration Editor
Regular expression grammar