WSLogging

Concept

• Provide a ubiquitous logging service through web services using OSGA based concepts

I think that a web services based logging service would greatly simplify the installation, configuration, and use of log event information in large computing environments. The Grid Computing folks already realized this and are building this functionality as components in the larger grid libraries. However, those grid libraries are quite complex and involved since they also support many other functions of grid computing. I think that currently there are many large computing applications that, while not grid based, are essentially massive grids of computers generating logging events that need to be monitored. Traditional approaches to this problem have relied on SNMP and are never implemented well leaving many event undetected. I believe that by using a producer, consumer, registry approach this problem can be solved in a much simpler operational model leading to much better use by the operators of these environments.

Goal

Provide a standalone event logging service, similar to what's available in the grid libraries, that can be deployed in a large range of computing environments.

Approach

I currently think that the best approach is to dig into the apache logging services implementation. This is a good framework with log collectors and a GUI based consumer. The logging service already supports remote collection of logging events. It is probably possible to add some additional producers (that read other logging events) and export them to the apache logging service. It might also be possible to extend this service to use a true web services approach.

Research

Standards

• osga - Open Services Grid Alliance

Infrastructure

• Apache tomcat - apache tomcat java servlet container
• Apache axis2 - apache axis SOAP layer; runs on tomcat or jetty
• Apache muse - Java-based implementation of the WS-ResourceFramework, etc.
• jetty - java servlet container replacement for apache tomcat

Implementations

• WS-Messenger - IU Application using WS-Notification & WS-Eventing

Other Approaches

• Apache Logging Services