Custom Logging

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This document details the "Custom Logging" server configuration, a specialized server build optimized for high-volume log ingestion, processing, and long-term storage. This configuration is designed for organizations requiring robust, scalable, and reliable logging infrastructure for security information and event management (SIEM), application performance monitoring (APM), and general system auditing.

1. Hardware Specifications

The "Custom Logging" server configuration prioritizes storage capacity, I/O performance, and network throughput. CPU and RAM are balanced to support efficient log processing, but are not the primary focus.

Component Specification
CPU Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6338 (32 Cores / 64 Threads per CPU), 2.0 GHz Base Frequency, 3.4 GHz Max Turbo Frequency
CPU Cache 48MB Intel Smart Cache per CPU
RAM 256GB DDR4 ECC Registered 3200MHz (8 x 32GB DIMMs) - Expandable to 512GB
Motherboard Supermicro X12DPG-QT6 - Dual Socket LGA 4189
Storage - OS/Boot 480GB NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD (Samsung 980 Pro)
Storage - Logging (Primary) 8 x 16TB SAS 12Gb/s 7.2K RPM Enterprise HDD (Seagate Exos X16) in RAID 6
Storage - Logging (Archive) 4 x 18TB SATA 6Gb/s 7.2K RPM Enterprise HDD (Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC550) in JBOD
RAID Controller Broadcom MegaRAID SAS 9361-8i - Supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and more. See RAID Configuration Guide for details.
Network Interface Card (NIC) Dual 10GbE SFP+ (Intel X710-DA2) - See Network Interface Card Selection for options.
Power Supply Unit (PSU) 2 x 1600W 80+ Platinum Redundant Power Supplies
Chassis 4U Rackmount Server Chassis with redundant fans. See Server Chassis Considerations for cooling.
Operating System CentOS Stream 9 (or Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS) - See Operating System Compatibility

Detailed Component Notes:

  • CPU Selection: The Intel Xeon Gold 6338 provides a strong balance of core count and clock speed for efficient log processing tasks like parsing, filtering, and compression. While not the fastest single-core performance, the high core count is beneficial for parallel processing of log streams.
  • RAM Configuration: 256GB of ECC Registered RAM ensures data integrity and stability, crucial for long-term log storage. The 3200MHz speed provides adequate memory bandwidth.
  • Storage Tiering: The storage configuration utilizes a tiered approach. Fast NVMe storage is used for the operating system and logging software, while high-capacity SAS HDDs in RAID 6 provide reliable and scalable primary log storage. SATA HDDs in JBOD serve as a cost-effective archive tier.
  • RAID 6 Implementation: RAID 6 on the primary storage provides excellent data redundancy, allowing for the failure of two drives without data loss. See Data Redundancy Strategies for further explanation.
  • Networking: Dual 10GbE NICs offer high-bandwidth connectivity to the network, critical for ingesting large volumes of log data from various sources. Link aggregation can further enhance network throughput and redundancy.

2. Performance Characteristics

The "Custom Logging" server was subjected to several benchmark tests to assess its performance capabilities.

Benchmark Results:

  • Log Ingestion Rate: Using `syslog-ng` as the log forwarder, the server sustained an average ingestion rate of 500,000 events per second (EPS) with an average log message size of 1KB. This test was conducted with simulated log data from 1000 sources.
  • Disk Write Speed: Using `fio` (Flexible I/O Tester) with a 100% write workload, the RAID 6 array achieved a sustained write speed of 1.8 GB/s.
  • CPU Utilization (Peak): During peak log ingestion, CPU utilization averaged 60-70% across both CPUs.
  • Memory Utilization (Peak): Peak memory utilization was approximately 70% during periods of high log processing and indexing.
  • Network Throughput: The dual 10GbE NICs achieved a combined throughput of 18 Gbps in testing. See Network Performance Testing for detailed methodology.

Real-World Performance:

In a production environment simulating a medium-sized enterprise network, the server successfully handled log data from various sources, including:

  • Firewalls (Cisco ASA, Palo Alto Networks)
  • Web Servers (Apache, Nginx)
  • Application Servers (Java, .NET)
  • Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL)
  • Operating Systems (Windows, Linux)

The server maintained stable performance without performance degradation over a 72-hour monitoring period. Log query response times remained consistently low, even with a large volume of indexed data. See Log Query Optimization for best practices.

3. Recommended Use Cases

This configuration is ideally suited for the following use cases:

  • **Security Information and Event Management (SIEM):** Centralized log collection and analysis for threat detection, incident response, and compliance reporting.
  • **Application Performance Monitoring (APM):** Collecting and analyzing application logs to identify performance bottlenecks and optimize application behavior.
  • **Compliance Auditing:** Storing and archiving logs for regulatory compliance requirements (e.g., PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR).
  • **Centralized Logging Infrastructure:** Providing a central repository for logs from all servers, network devices, and applications within an organization.
  • **High-Volume Log Processing:** Organizations generating large volumes of log data (e.g., large e-commerce websites, cloud service providers). See Scaling Log Infrastructure for advanced strategies.

4. Comparison with Similar Configurations

The "Custom Logging" configuration offers a balance of performance, capacity, and cost. Here's a comparison with similar configurations:

Configuration CPU RAM Storage Network Estimated Cost Key Strengths Key Weaknesses
**Custom Logging (This Configuration)** Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6338 256GB DDR4 8x16TB SAS RAID6 + 4x18TB SATA JBOD Dual 10GbE $12,000 - $15,000 High capacity, good performance, data redundancy, cost-effective Not the fastest single-core CPU performance
**High-Performance Logging** Dual Intel Xeon Platinum 8380 512GB DDR4 8x16TB NVMe RAID6 4x10GbE $25,000 - $30,000 Extremely high performance, very low latency Significantly higher cost
**Budget Logging** Dual Intel Xeon Silver 4310 128GB DDR4 4x8TB SATA RAID5 Single 1GbE $6,000 - $8,000 Lowest cost Limited capacity, lower performance, less redundancy
**Cloud-Based Logging (e.g., AWS CloudWatch Logs)** N/A - Managed Service N/A - Managed Service Scalable Storage - Pay-as-you-go Variable - Dependent on Data Transfer Variable - Dependent on Usage Scalability, ease of management, no hardware maintenance Potential cost overruns, vendor lock-in, data sovereignty concerns

Considerations:

  • The "High-Performance Logging" configuration is suitable for organizations requiring extremely low latency and maximum throughput, but comes at a significantly higher cost.
  • The "Budget Logging" configuration is a viable option for smaller organizations with lower log volume requirements.
  • Cloud-based logging solutions offer scalability and ease of management, but can be more expensive in the long run and raise data sovereignty concerns. See Cloud vs. On-Premise Logging for a detailed comparison.

5. Maintenance Considerations

Maintaining the "Custom Logging" server requires proactive monitoring and regular maintenance to ensure optimal performance and reliability.

  • **Cooling:** The server generates a significant amount of heat due to the high-performance CPUs and hard drives. Ensure adequate airflow within the server rack and maintain a cool ambient temperature. Consider using a rack-mounted cooling solution if necessary. See Server Room Cooling Best Practices.
  • **Power Requirements:** The server requires a dedicated power circuit with sufficient capacity to handle the 3200W power draw of the redundant power supplies. Ensure that the power circuit is protected by a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply).
  • **RAID Monitoring:** Regularly monitor the health of the RAID array using the RAID controller management interface. Replace any failing drives immediately to prevent data loss. See RAID Monitoring and Maintenance.
  • **Log Rotation and Archiving:** Implement a robust log rotation and archiving strategy to manage disk space and ensure long-term data retention. Consider using a tiered storage approach, as implemented in this configuration, to optimize storage costs. See Log Management Best Practices.
  • **Software Updates:** Keep the operating system and logging software up to date with the latest security patches and bug fixes.
  • **Regular Backups:** Back up the entire server configuration, including the operating system, logging software, and configuration files. Test the backups regularly to ensure they are restorable. See Disaster Recovery Planning for Logging Infrastructure.
  • **Drive Health Monitoring:** Utilize SMART data monitoring tools to proactively identify potential hard drive failures.
  • **Fan Monitoring:** Monitor fan speeds and temperatures to ensure adequate cooling. Replace failing fans promptly.

Preventative Maintenance Schedule:

  • **Daily:** Check server logs for errors. Monitor disk space usage.
  • **Weekly:** Run RAID health checks. Verify backup integrity.
  • **Monthly:** Review security logs. Update software. Check fan speeds and temperatures.
  • **Quarterly:** Perform a full system health check. Test disaster recovery procedures.

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Intel-Based Server Configurations

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

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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⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️

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