Installing BMC Helix Logging

BMC Helix Logging uses Elasticsearch, Fluent Bit, and Kibana (EFK) to collect, store, and view logs:

Elasticsearch: A search engine also used to store and analyze logs.
Fluent Bit: Aggregates the application logs collected by the log shipper and sends them to Elasticsearch.
Kibana: A web user interface for data visualization and a log exploration tool.

As a system administrator, you must deploy and configure BMC Helix Logging to collect logs, and then configure the Kibana to view logs.

Before you begin

Make sure that BMC Helix Platform Common Services 25.1.00 is installed.
Make sure that the following ports are available for Elasticsearch and Kibana services:
Service
Ports
ElasticSearch
9200, 9300
Kibana
5601
Make sure that you have a separate namespace to install BMC Helix Logging.
See System-requirements.
Download the bmc-helix-logging-25.1.00-45.tar file from EPD by using the option.
See Downloading-the-installation-files.

Service	Ports
ElasticSearch	9200, 9300
Kibana	5601

To install BMC Helix Logging

Extract the bmc-helix-logging-25.1.00-45.tar file to the helix-on-prem-deployment-manager/utilities folder in the working directory.

Perform the following prerequisites that are relevant to your deployment.

Deployment	Procedure
Kubernetes	Use the default namespace or create a namespace in Kubernetes: Example: bmc-helix-logging. Navigate to helix-on-prem-deployment-manager/utilities/bmc-helix-logging/efk/fluent-bit/ and replace the efk-fluent-bit-clusterrole.yaml namespace with the namespace that created in step a. Use the cluster admin permission and apply the privileged policy to the new namespace. kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=privileged kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce-version=latest kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/audit=privileged kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/audit-version=latest kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/warn=privileged kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/warn-version=latest To use a different namespace, go to bmc-helix-logging.config and set the variable BMC_HELIX_LOGGING_NAMESPACE to a new namespace.
OpenShift	Use the default namespace or create a namespace in Openshift: Example: bmc-helix-logging. Using admin privileges, navigate to helix-on-prem-deployment-manager/utilities/bmc-helix-logging/efk/fluent-bit/ and run the following commands: oc apply -f efk-fluent-bit-scc.yaml to replace the efk-fluent-bit-scc.yaml namespace. oc apply -f efk-fluent-bit-clusterrole.yaml to replace the efk-fluent-bit-clusterrole.yaml namespace. oc adm policy add-scc-to-user efk-fluent-bit -z efk-fluent-bit -n <namespace> to add adm policy scc to the service account in the namespace. Add bmc-helix-logging GID in bmc-helix-logging.config. Example: LOGGING_RUN_AS_USER=1000750000 LOGGING_RUN_AS_GROUP=1000750000 LOGGING_FS_GROUP=1000750000

Deployment

Procedure

Kubernetes

Use the default namespace or create a namespace in Kubernetes: Example: bmc-helix-logging.
Navigate to helix-on-prem-deployment-manager/utilities/bmc-helix-logging/efk/fluent-bit/ and replace the efk-fluent-bit-clusterrole.yaml namespace with the namespace that created in step a.
Use the cluster admin permission and apply the privileged policy to the new namespace.
kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=privileged
kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce-version=latest
kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/audit=privileged
kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/audit-version=latest
kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/warn=privileged
kubectl label namespace <namespace-name> pod-security.kubernetes.io/warn-version=latest
To use a different namespace, go to bmc-helix-logging.config and set the variable BMC_HELIX_LOGGING_NAMESPACE to a new namespace.

OpenShift

Use the default namespace or create a namespace in Openshift: Example: bmc-helix-logging.
Using admin privileges, navigate to helix-on-prem-deployment-manager/utilities/bmc-helix-logging/efk/fluent-bit/ and run the following commands:
- oc apply -f efk-fluent-bit-scc.yaml to replace the efk-fluent-bit-scc.yaml namespace.

- oc apply -f efk-fluent-bit-clusterrole.yaml to replace the efk-fluent-bit-clusterrole.yaml namespace.
- oc adm policy add-scc-to-user efk-fluent-bit -z efk-fluent-bit -n <namespace> to add adm policy scc to the service account in the namespace.
Add bmc-helix-logging GID in bmc-helix-logging.config. Example:
- LOGGING_RUN_AS_USER=1000750000
- LOGGING_RUN_AS_GROUP=1000750000
- LOGGING_FS_GROUP=1000750000

Go to the helix-on-prem-deployment-manager/utilities/bmc-helix-logging/bmc-helix-logging.config file and set the following values:

Parameter	Description
KIBANA_LB_HOST	Specify a URL to create a Kibana load balancer host. The BMC Helix Logging Ingress uses the value of this parameter. Example: KIBANA_LB_HOST= kibana-private-poc.mydomain.com
ESLOG_MASTER_STORAGE_CLASS	Specify a storage class for Elasticsearch master nodes. Usually, a single storage class by using block storage is configured for all the infra services. Example: ESLOG_MASTER_STORAGE_CLASS=acme-block-storage
ESLOG_DATA_STORAGE_CLASS	Specify a storage class for Elasticsearch data nodes. Usually, a single storage class by using block storage is configured for all the infra services. Example: ESLOG_DATA_STORAGE_CLASS=acme-block-storage
ESKIBANA_SERVER_HOST	To use IPv4, set ESKIBANA_SERVER_HOST ="0.0.0.0" To use IPv6, set ESKIBANA_SERVER_HOST ="::"

Run the ./bmc-helix-logging-deployer.sh script.
The BMC Helix Logging EFK is deployed in the BMC Helix Logging namespace.

Where to go from here

Setting-up-the-installation-environment

Installing BMC Helix Logging

Before you begin

To install BMC Helix Logging

Where to go from here

On this page