Admin: Automated server configuration article

2025-04-15T16:26:06Z

Automated server configuration article

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# Log Management Guide

This guide details best practices for configuring and managing logs on a MediaWiki 1.40 server. Effective log management is crucial for troubleshooting, security auditing, and performance monitoring. This article is designed for system administrators and those responsible for maintaining the health of a MediaWiki installation.

== Understanding MediaWiki Logs ==

MediaWiki generates several types of logs that record important events. These logs provide valuable insights into system activity and potential issues. Key logs include:

* '''Access Log:''' Records all requests made to the web server (Apache or Nginx).
* '''Error Log:''' Records errors encountered by the web server and PHP.
* '''MediaWiki Watchlist Log:''' Tracks changes to pages on users' watchlists.
* '''MediaWiki Revision Log:''' Records every revision made to a page.
* '''MediaWiki Abuse Log:''' Logs actions flagged as potentially abusive.
* '''MediaWiki Block Log:''' Documents user blocks and unblocks.

Properly configuring these logs is the first step in effective log management.

== Web Server Log Configuration (Apache) ==

If you are using Apache as your web server, configuration is typically done through virtual host files. Here's a sample configuration snippet:

<pre>
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName yourmediawiki.example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/mediawiki

ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/mediawiki_error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/mediawiki_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>
</pre>

The `ErrorLog` directive specifies the location of the error log, and `CustomLog` defines the access log and its format. The `combined` format is a standard Apache log format. Restart Apache after making changes. See [[Apache HTTP Server]] for more information.

Here’s a table summarizing common Apache log format directives:

{| class="wikitable"
! Directive
! Description
|-
| `ErrorLog`
| Specifies the file to which errors are logged.
|-
| `CustomLog`
| Defines the access log file and format.
|-
| `LogFormat`
| Allows you to define custom log formats.
|-
| `TransferLog`
| Alias for `CustomLog` with a specific format.
|}

== Web Server Log Configuration (Nginx) ==

For Nginx, log configuration is done in the server block of the configuration file. An example:

<pre>
server {
listen 80;
server_name yourmediawiki.example.com;
root /var/www/html/mediawiki;

error_log /var/log/nginx/mediawiki_error.log;
access_log /var/log/nginx/mediawiki_access.log combined;
}
</pre>

Similar to Apache, `error_log` specifies the error log location, and `access_log` defines the access log and format. Restart Nginx after changes. Consult the [[Nginx documentation]] for more details.

The following table outlines common Nginx log directives:

{| class="wikitable"
! Directive
! Description
|-
| `error_log`
| Specifies the file to which errors are logged.
|-
| `access_log`
| Defines the access log file and format.
|-
| `log_format`
| Allows you to define custom log formats.
|-
| `combined`
| A predefined log format including common information.
|}

== MediaWiki Log Configuration ==

MediaWiki’s internal logs are configured through the `LocalSettings.php` file. The `$wgLogPaths` array defines where various MediaWiki logs are stored.

<pre>
$wgLogPaths = [
'watch' => '/var/log/mediawiki/watch.log',
'abuse' => '/var/log/mediawiki/abuse.log',
'block' => '/var/log/mediawiki/block.log',
'revision' => '/var/log/mediawiki/revision.log',
];
</pre>

Ensure the web server user has write permissions to these log directories. See [[Configuring LocalSettings.php]] for more information. Proper permissions are critical for security.

Here's a table summarizing key MediaWiki log types and their purpose:

{| class="wikitable"
! Log Type
! Description
! Location (example)
|-
| Watchlist
| Tracks changes to watched pages.
| `/var/log/mediawiki/watch.log`
|-
| Abuse
| Records potentially abusive actions.
| `/var/log/mediawiki/abuse.log`
|-
| Block
| Logs user blocks and unblocks.
| `/var/log/mediawiki/block.log`
|-
| Revision
| Records page revisions.
| `/var/log/mediawiki/revision.log`
|}

== Log Rotation ==

Log files can grow rapidly, consuming disk space. Log rotation is essential to prevent this. Tools like `logrotate` are commonly used for this purpose.

A sample `logrotate` configuration for MediaWiki logs:

<pre>
/var/log/mediawiki/*.log {
daily
rotate 7
missingok
notifempty
delaycompress
compress
postrotate
/bin/systemctl reload apache2 > /dev/null 2>&1 || true
endscript
}
</pre>

This configuration rotates logs daily, keeps 7 days of logs, and compresses older logs. The `postrotate` script restarts Apache to ensure new logs are opened. Refer to [[Logrotate documentation]] for advanced configuration options.

== Log Analysis Tools ==

Once logs are being generated and rotated, you’ll need tools to analyze them. Several options are available:

* '''grep:''' A basic command-line tool for searching logs. See [[Using grep]] for more information.
* '''awk:''' A powerful scripting language for processing text files.
* '''Elasticsearch/Logstash/Kibana (ELK Stack):''' A popular open-source stack for centralized log management and analysis. [[ELK Stack setup]] provides a detailed guide.
* '''Splunk:''' A commercial log management and analysis platform.

== Security Considerations ==

* Protect log files from unauthorized access. Restrict permissions to the web server user and administrators.
* Regularly review logs for suspicious activity.
* Consider using a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system for automated log analysis and threat detection.
* Never store sensitive information (passwords, API keys) in log files.

== Further Resources ==

* [[MediaWiki Manual – Configuration]]
* [[Server Security Guide]]
* [[Troubleshooting Common Errors]]
* [[Performance Monitoring]]
* [[Backup and Recovery]]

[[Category:Server Hardware]]

== Intel-Based Server Configurations ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Configuration
! Specifications
! Benchmark
|-
| [[Core i7-6700K/7700 Server]]
| 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB
| CPU Benchmark: 8046
|-
| [[Core i7-8700 Server]]
| 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB
| CPU Benchmark: 13124
|-
| [[Core i9-9900K Server]]
| 128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB
| CPU Benchmark: 49969
|-
| [[Core i9-13900 Server (64GB)]]
| 64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD
|
|-
| [[Core i9-13900 Server (128GB)]]
| 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD
|
|-
| [[Core i5-13500 Server (64GB)]]
| 64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD
|
|-
| [[Core i5-13500 Server (128GB)]]
| 128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD
|
|-
| [[Core i5-13500 Workstation]]
| 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000
|
|}

== AMD-Based Server Configurations ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Configuration
! Specifications
! Benchmark
|-
| [[Ryzen 5 3600 Server]]
| 64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 17849
|-
| [[Ryzen 7 7700 Server]]
| 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 35224
|-
| [[Ryzen 9 5950X Server]]
| 128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 46045
|-
| [[Ryzen 9 7950X Server]]
| 128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 63561
|-
| [[EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB)]]
| 128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 48021
|-
| [[EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB)]]
| 128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 48021
|-
| [[EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB)]]
| 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 48021
|-
| [[EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB)]]
| 256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 48021
|-
| [[EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB)]]
| 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe
| CPU Benchmark: 48021
|-
| [[EPYC 9454P Server]]
| 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe
|
|}

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