Changing logging locations

Logging locations for DataStax Enterprise (DSE) are set at installation. Generally, the default logs location is /var/log. For example, /var/log/cassandra and /var/log/tomcat.

To change logging locations after installation, do the following:

  1. Update the log directory location in the dse-env.sh file or the logback.xml file:

    dse-env.sh

    To generate all logs in the same location, update the dse-env.sh file.

    The location of the dse-env.sh file depends on your installation type:

    • Package installations and installer-services installations: /etc/dse/dse-env.sh

    • Tarball installations and installer-no services installations: INSTALLATION_LOCATION/bin/dse-env.sh

    Add CASSANDRA_LOG_DIR to the dse-env.sh file, replacing LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH with the absolute path to your preferred log directory:

    export CASSANDRA_LOG_DIR="LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH"
    logback.xml

    To generate logs in separate locations, update the logback.xml file.

    The location of the logback.xml file depends on the type of installation:

    • Package installations and installer-services installations: /etc/dse/cassandra/logback.xml

    • Tarball installations and installer-no services installations: INSTALLATION_LOCATION/resources/cassandra/conf/logback.xml

    Replace ${cassandra.logdir} with the absolute path to your preferred log directory in both the <file> and <fileNamePattern> elements for each appender. To use different directories for different log types (system, debug, audit), specify different paths for each appender.

    The ${cassandra.logdir} variable appears in the following locations:

    • SYSTEMLOG appender: Controls system.log and its archived files. For example:

      <!-- Before -->
      <file>${cassandra.logdir}/system.log</file>
      <fileNamePattern>${cassandra.logdir}/system.log.%d{yyyy-MM-dd}.%i.zip</fileNamePattern>
      
      <!-- After -->
      <file>LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH/system.log</file>
      <fileNamePattern>LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH/system.log.%d{yyyy-MM-dd}.%i.zip</fileNamePattern>
    • DEBUGLOG appender: Controls debug.log and its archived files. For example:

      <!-- Before -->
      <file>${cassandra.logdir}/debug.log</file>
      <fileNamePattern>${cassandra.logdir}/debug.log.%d{yyyy-MM-dd}.%i.zip</fileNamePattern>
      <!-- After -->
      <file>LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH/debug.log</file>
      <fileNamePattern>LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH/debug.log.%d{yyyy-MM-dd}.%i.zip</fileNamePattern>
    • AUDIT appender: Controls audit.log and its archived files. Must be uncommented to apply. For example:

      <!-- Before -->
      <file>${cassandra.logdir}/audit.log</file>
      <fileNamePattern>${cassandra.logdir}/audit.log.%d{yyyy-MM-dd}.%i.zip</fileNamePattern>
      <!-- After -->
      <file>LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH/audit.log</file>
      <fileNamePattern>LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH/audit.log.%d{yyyy-MM-dd}.%i.zip</fileNamePattern>
  2. Optional: Change the Apache Tomcat® server log locations for DSE Search:

    cassandra-env.sh

    To generate all logs in the same location, update the cassandra-env.sh file.

    The location of the cassandra-env.sh file depends on the type of installation:

    • Package installations and installer-services installations: /etc/dse/cassandra/cassandra-env.sh

    • Tarball installations and installer-no services installations: INSTALLATION_LOCATION/resources/cassandra/conf/cassandra-env.sh

    Update the TOMCAT_LOGS environment variable, replacing LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH with the absolute path to your preferred log directory:

    export TOMCAT_LOGS="LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH"
    logging.properties

    To generate logs in separate locations, update the logging.properties file.

    Set the locations in the resources/tomcat/conf/logging.properties file by replacing ${tomcat.logs} with the path to your log directory, and then save the file:

    1catalina.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.level = FINE
    1catalina.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.directory = LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH
    1catalina.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.prefix = catalina.
    
    2localhost.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.level = FINE
    2localhost.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.directory = LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH
    2localhost.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.prefix = localhost.
    
    3manager.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.level = FINE
    3manager.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.directory = LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH
    3manager.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.prefix = manager.
    
    4host-manager.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.level = FINE
    4host-manager.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.directory = LOG_DIRECTORY_PATH
    4host-manager.org.apache.juli.AsyncFileHandler.prefix = host-manager.
    
    java.util.logging.ConsoleHandler.level = FINE
    java.util.logging.ConsoleHandler.formatter = org.apache.juli.OneLineFormatter
  3. Restart DSE.

  4. Go to your log directory and verify that DSE is writing logs to the new location.

See also

If you use DSE OpsCenter, you can change logging locations for DSE using configuration profiles.

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