Installing syslog-ng using the .run installer

4.1. Installing syslog-ng using the .run installer

This section describes how to install the syslog-ng Premium Edition application (or the syslog-ng Open Source edition application from a pre-compiled binary) interactively. The installer has a simple interface: use the TAB or the arrow keys of your keyboard to navigate between the options, and Enter to select an option.

• To install syslog-ng on clients or relays, complete .

• To install syslog-ng on your central logserver, complete .

• To install syslog-ng without any user-interaction, complete .

	Note
	The installer stops the running syslogd application if it is running, but its components are not removed. The /etc/init.d/sysklogd init script is automatically renamed to /etc/init.d/sysklogd.backup. Rename this file to its original name if you want to remove or restart the syslogd package.

4.1.1. Installing syslog-ng in client or relay mode

Complete the following steps to install syslog-ng Premium Edition on clients or relays. See for details on the different operation modes of syslog-ng.

Procedure 4.1. Installing syslog-ng in client or relay mode

1. Login to your MyBalabit account () and download the syslog-ng installer package.

2. Start the installer as root using the ./syslog-ng-premium-edition---.run command. (Note that the exact name of the file depends on the operating system and platform.) Wait until the package is uncompressed and the welcome screen appears, then select Continue.

   

   Figure 4.1. The welcome screen

   
   

3. Accepting the EULA: You can install syslog-ng only if you understand and accept the terms of the End-User License Agreement (EULA). The full text of the EULA can be displayed during installation by selecting the Show EULA option, and is also available in this guide for convenience at . Select Accept to accept the EULA and continue the installation.

   If you do not accept the terms of the EULA for some reason, select Reject to cancel installing syslog-ng.

4. Detecting platform and operating system: The installer attempts to automatically detect your oprating system and platform. If the displayed information is correct, select Yes. Otherwise select Exit to abort the installation, and verify that your platform is supported. See for a list of supported platforms. If your platform is supported but not detected correctly, contact your local distributor, reseller, or the BalaBit Support Team. See for contact details.

   

   Figure 4.2. Platform detection

   
   

5. Locating the license: Since you are installing syslog-ng in client or relay mode, simply select OK. See for details on the different operation modes of syslog-ng.

6. Upgrading: The syslog-ng installer can automatically detect if you have previously installed a version of syslog-ng on your system. To use the configuration file of this previous installation, select Yes. To ignore the old configuration file and create a new one, select No.

   Note that if you decide to use your existing configuration file, the installer automatically checks it for syntax error and displays a list of warnings and errors if it finds any problems.

   

   Figure 4.3. Upgrading syslog-ng

   
   

7. Generating a new configuration file: The installer displays some questions to generate a new configuration file.

   1. Remote sources: Select Yes to accept log messages from the network. TCP, UDP, and SYSLOG messages on every interface will be automatically accepted.

      

      Figure 4.4. Accepting remote messages

      
      

   2. Remote destinations: Enter the IP address or hostname of your logserver or relay and select OK.

      

      Figure 4.5. Forwarding messages to the logserver

      
      

   	Note
   	Accepting remote messages and forwarding them to a logserver means that syslog-ng will start in relay mode.

8. After the installation is finished, add the /opt/syslog-ng/bin and /opt/syslog-ng/sbin directories to your search PATH environment variable. That way you can use syslog-ng and its related tools without having to specify the full pathname. Add the following line to your shell profile:

   PATH=/opt/syslog-ng/bin:$PATH 

4.1.2. Installing syslog-ng in server mode

Complete the following steps to install syslog-ng on logservers. See for details on the different operation modes of syslog-ng.

Procedure 4.2. Installing syslog-ng in server mode

1. Login to your MyBalabit account () and download the syslog-ng installer package and your syslog-ng Premium Edition license. The license will be required to run syslog-ng in server mode (see ) and is needed when you are installing syslog-ng on your central logserver.

2. Start the installer as root using the ./syslog-ng-premium-edition---.run command. (Note that the exact name of the file depends on the operating system and platform.) Wait until the package is uncompressed and the welcome screen appears, then select Continue.

   

   Figure 4.6. The welcome screen

   
   

3. Accepting the EULA: You can install syslog-ng only if you understand and accept the terms of the End-User License Agreement (EULA). The full text of the EULA can be displayed during installation by selecting the Show EULA option, and is also available in this guide for convenience at . Select Accept to accept the EULA and continue the installation.

   If you do not accept the terms of the EULA for some reason, select Reject to cancel installing syslog-ng.

4. Detecting platform and operating system: The installer attempts to automatically detect your oprating system and platform. If the displayed information is correct, select Yes. Otherwise select Exit to abort the installation, and verify that your platform is supported. See for a list of supported platforms. If your platform is supported but not detected correctly, contact your local distributor, reseller, or the BalaBit Support Team. See for contact details.

   

   Figure 4.7. Platform detection

   
   

5. Locating the license: Enter the path to your license file and select OK. Typically this is required only for your central logserver.

   If you are upgrading an existing configuration that already has a license file, the installer automatically detects it.

   

   Figure 4.8. Platform detection

   
   

6. Upgrading: The syslog-ng installer can automatically detect if you have previously installed a version of syslog-ng on your system. To use the configuration file of this previous installation, select Yes. To ignore the old configuration file and create a new one, select No.

   Note that if you decide to use your existing configuration file, the installer automatically checks it for syntax error and displays a list of warnings and errors if it finds any problems.

   

   Figure 4.9. Upgrading syslog-ng

   
   

7. Generating a new configuration file: The installer displays some questions to generate a new configuration file.

   1. Remote sources: Select Yes to accept log messages from the network. TCP, UDP, and SYSLOG messages on every interface will be automatically accepted.

      

      Figure 4.10. Accepting remote messages

      
      

   2. Remote destinations: Enter the IP address or hostname of your logserver or relay and select OK.

      

      Figure 4.11. Forwarding messages to the logserver

      
      

   	Note
   	Accepting remote messages and forwarding them to a logserver means that syslog-ng will start in relay mode.

8. After the installation is finished, add the /opt/syslog-ng/bin and /opt/syslog-ng/sbin directories to your search PATH environment variable. That way you can use syslog-ng and its related tools without having to specify the full pathname. Add the following line to your shell profile:

   PATH=/opt/syslog-ng/bin:$PATH 

4.1.3. Installing syslog-ng without user-interaction

The syslog-ng application can be installed in silent mode without any user-interaction by specifying the required parameters from the command line. Answers to every question of the installer can be set in advance using command-line parameters. To display the list of parameters, execute the ./syslog-ng-premium-edition-.run -- --h command. Currently the following options are available:

• --accept-eula or -a: Accept the EULA.

• --license-file or -l : Path to the license file.

• --upgrade | -u: Perform automatic upgrade — use the configuration file and license file from an existing installation.

• --remote : Send logs to the specified remote server. Not available when performing an upgrade.

• --network: Accept messags from the network. Not available when performing an upgrade.

• --configuration : Use the specified configuration file.