Using the Data Collector client to authenticate and invoke the REST API

Before you can use the REST API, you need to authenticate communications with Log Analysis. You can use the Data Collector client which, is available out of the box, to help you to do this. You can also use it to invoke the REST API and leverage public APIs.

Before you begin

  • Ensure that you have at least a basic understanding of Java .
  • Ensure that you are using Java 8.0 or later.
  • Ensure that the Data Collector client that you use is from the same version of Log Analysis that you use for authentication. For example a Data Collector from 1.2 may not work with Log Analysis 1.3.

About this task

If you run your REST client on the same server where you installed Log Analysis, you do not need to complete steps 3 and 4 because the client certificate is already imported into the Java client that is installed with Log Analysis.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the server where you installed Log Analysis.
  2. Copy the <HOME>/IBM/LogAnalysis/utilities/datacollector-client/datacollector-client.jar file to the server where you want to run the client side code.

    You must ensure that the datacollector-client.jar file is part of the classpath that is specified in your Java client.

  3. Copy the <HOME>/IBM/LogAnalysis/wlp/usr/servers/Unity/resources/security/client.crt file from the Log Analysis server to a directory on the server where your REST call invoker client is.
    For example, home/IBM/myCertificates/client.crt.
  4. Import the certificate that you created in the previous step into your Java certificate store.
    For example:
    /home/user1/java/bin/keytool -import 
-file /home/user1/IBM/myCertificates/client.crt 
-keystore /home/user1/java/jre/lib/security/cacerts 
-alias SCALA_HOST -storepass changeit

What to do next

For example, imagine that you use a Java program called MyClient.java with 'main' method that is under a package called com.org.tools. You saved the Data Collector JAR file in the same directory as the program. Go to the directory and run the following command:
java -cp datacollector-client.jar:.: com.org.tools.MyClient
The program runs and invokes the REST APIs that are exposed in the datacollectorclient.jar file.
To invoke the REST API, declare and define the class member variable for the REST Client APIs:
RestClient restClient = new RestClient(userID, password);
You can also use the following public APIs. You can use the endpoint addresses that you define in the Log Analysis REST API as the restAddr value:
public RequestResult postToServer(String restAddr, JSONObject json) 
throws UnityException
public RequestResult putOnServer(String restAddr, JSONObject json)
public RequestResult getFromServer(String restAddr)
public RequestResult deleteOnServer(String deleteAddr)
To load a batch of data into the Log Analysis server hosted at exmp123.example.com, use the following code:
    RestClient restClient = new RestClient("unityadmin","unityadmin");

 

    JSONObject batch = ......

    String restAddr = "https://exmp123.example.com:9987/Unity/DataCollector";

    try {

        restClient.postToServer(restAddr, batch);

    }catch(UnityException ue){

        System.err.println(ue.getMessage());

    }