Configuring log formats for WebSphere log anomaly detection

To access log messages for WebSphere log anomaly detection, configure the domains with the correct type of log formats.

  • Configure IBM WebSphere Application Server to use High Performance Extensible Logging (HPEL).

    • HPEL provides a mechanism for storing and accessing log, trace, System.err, and System.out information that is generated by the server or generated by applications that use java.util.logging.
    • To render data stored by HPEL in JSON format, use the LogViewer command.
  • Configure IBM WebSphere Liberty servers to output JSON to the messages.log file.

  • Only log messages from IBM WebSphere Liberty server code have IBM message IDs, so IBM Cloud Pak for AIOps can use only those messages. IBM Cloud Pak for AIOps can't run log anomaly detection on logs from applications that run on IBM WebSphere Application Server.

    • Thus, the upstream log data source for IBM Cloud Pak for AIOps is either HPEL for IBM WebSphere Application Server or a messages.log file for an IBM WebSphere Liberty server.