# Preface

## Purpose of This Document

This document describes the BEA Manager Log Central and gives instructions for using the graphical user interface for managing Log Central applications.

### Who Should Read This Document

This document is intended for administrators who manage Log Central applications, and administrators of applications that are being managed by Log Central.

### How This Document Is Organized

The Log Central Administrator's Guide is organized as follows:

- Chapter 1, "Overview," provides an overview of Log Central.

- Chapter 2, "Getting Started," describes the steps that an administrator needs to perform to set up a Log Central system.

- Chapter 3, "Configuring the Database for Use with Log Central," describes utilities that configure the database.

- Chapter 4, "Integrating Logs into Log Central," describes how to create mappings to map third-party log messages into Log Central log message format.

- Chapter 5, "Creating and Loading Message Definitions," describes how to create and load message definitions in a batch process.

- Chapter 6, "Host and Filter Configuration," describes how to configure a backup collector, and define filters.

- Chapter 7, "Integrating Log Central with an SNMP Manager," describes how to integrate Log Central with an SNMP Manager.

- Chapter 8, "Starting and Stopping Log Central," describes starting a Central Collector on the central host and starting agents on managed nodes.

- Chapter 9, "Using the Log Central Console," describes management tasks implemented through the tools of the Log Central graphical user interface.

- Appendix A, "Message Format," describes Log Central message attributes at the agent and in the message definition.

- Appendix B, "Environment Variables," describes certain environment variables in Log Central, and why you may need to change them.

- Appendix C, "Testing and Debugging Commands," describes how to generate test messages, read the current log file, and display the BEA Manager version number.

- Appendix D, "MIB Reference," describes the Log Central Traps MIB and the Process Monitor MIB.

- Appendix E, "Database Schema," details the contents of the database table definitions used by Log Central.

- Appendix F, "Initialization File," details the contents of the Log Central initialization file.

- Appendix G, "Predefined Log Mapping," details the predefined mappings from the messages of BEA TUXEDO applications, NT, and Oracle to those stored in the Log Central database.

## How to Use This Document

This document, Log Central Administrator's Guide, is designed primarily as an online, hypertext document. If you are reading this as a paper publication, note that to get full use from this document you should install and access it as an online document via a Web browser.

The following sections explain how to view this document online, and how to print a copy of this document.

### Opening the Document in a Web Browser

To access the online version of this document, open the following HTML file in a Web browser:

>     install_dir/docs/mgr/20/logcent/index.htm

`install_dir` is the directory in which you installed Log Central.

Note: The online documentation requires a Web browser that supports HTML version 3.0. Netscape Navigator version 2.02 or Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.0 or later are recommended.

Figure 1 shows the online document with the clickable navigation bar and table of contents.

> Figure 1 Online Document Displayed in a Netscape Web Browser

### Printing from a Web Browser

You can print a copy of this document, one file at a time, from the Web browser. Before you print, make sure that the chapter or appendix you want is displayed and selected in your browser. (To select a chapter or appendix, click anywhere inside the chapter or appendix you want to print. If your browser offers a Print Preview feature, you can use the feature to verify which chapter or appendix you are about to print.)

The BEA Manager Online Documentation CD also includes Adobe Acrobat PDF files of all of the online documents. You can use the Adobe Acrobat Reader to print all or a portion of each document.

### Documentation Conventions

The following documentation conventions are used throughout this document.

Convention | Item
--- | ---
boldface text | Indicates terms defined in the glossary.
Ctrl+Tab | Indicates that you must press two or more keys sequentially.
italics | Indicates emphasis or book titles.
`monospace text` | Indicates code samples, commands and their options, data structures and their members, data types, directories, and file names and their extensions. Monospace text also indicates text that you must enter from the keyboard. Examples: `#include <iostream.h> void main ( ) the pointer psz` `chmod u+w *` `\tux\data\ap` `.doc` `tux.doc` `BITMAP` `float`
`monospace boldface text` | Identifies significant words in code. Example: `void` `commit``( )`
`monospace italic text` | Identifies variables in code. Example: `String` `expr`
UPPERCASE TEXT | Indicates device names, environment variables, and logical operators. Examples: LPT1 SIGNON OR
`{ }` | Indicates a set of choices in a syntax line. The braces themselves should never be typed.
`[ ]` | Indicates optional items in a syntax line. The brackets themselves should never be typed. Example: `buildobjclient [-v] [-o name ] [-f` `file-list``]... [-l` `file-list``]...`
`|` | Separates mutually exclusive choices in a syntax line. The symbol itself should never be typed.
`...` | Indicates one of the following in a command line: That an argument can be repeated several times in a command line That the statement omits additional optional arguments

- That you can enter additional parameters, values, or other information

  The ellipsis itself should never be typed.

  Example:

  `buildobjclient [-v] [-o name ] [-f` `file-list``]... [-l` `file-list``]...`

`.
.
.`

Indicates the omission of items from a code example or from a syntax line. The vertical ellipsis itself should never be typed.

## Related Documentation

The following sections list the documentation provided with Log Central, and other related publications.

### Log Central Documentation

The Log Central information set consists of the following documents:

- Log Central Administrator's Guide

- Log Central online help

- BEA Manager Installation Guide

- BEA Manager Release Notes

  Note: The BEA Manager Online Documentation CD also includes Adobe Acrobat PDF files of all of the online documents. You can use the Adobe Acrobat Reader to print all or a portion of each document.

## Contact Information

The following sections provide information about how to obtain support for the documentation and software.

### Documentation Support

If you have questions or comments on the documentation, you can contact the BEA Information Engineering Group by e-mail at docsupport@beasys.com. (For information about how to contact Customer Support, refer to the following section.)

### Customer Support

If you have any questions about this version of BEA Log Central, or if you have problems installing and running BEA Log Central, contact BEA Customer Support through BEA WebSupport at `www.beasys.com`. You can also contact Customer Support by using the contact information provided on the Customer Support Card, which is included in the product package.

When contacting Customer Support, be prepared to provide the following information:

- Your name, e-mail address, phone number, and fax number

- Your company name and company address

- Your machine type and authorization codes

- The name and version of the product you are using

- A description of the problem and the content of pertinent error messages