2021-06-25 05:22:10 +00:00
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---
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layout: post
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title: Tailing files on remote hosts
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excerpt: Native support for tailing logs on machines accessible via SSH
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---
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2021-08-10 05:18:40 +00:00
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*(This change is in [**v0.10.0+**](https://github.com/tstack/lnav/releases/tag/v0.10.0))*
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2021-06-25 05:22:10 +00:00
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One of the new features in the upcoming v0.10.0 release of lnav is support
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for tailing log files on remote hosts via SSH. This feature allows you to
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view local files and files from multiple remote hosts alongside each other
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in the log view. The only setup required is to ensure the machines can be
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accessed via SSH without any interaction, meaning the host key must have
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been previously accepted and public key authentication configured. Opening
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a remote file is then simply a matter of specifying the location using the
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common scp syntax (i.e. `user@host:/path/to/file`).
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When lnav accesses a remote host, it transfers an agent (called the
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"tailer") to the host to handle file system requests from lnav. The agent
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is an [αcτµαlly pδrταblε εxεcµταblε](https://justine.lol/ape.html) that
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should run on most X86 Operating Systems. The agent will monitor the
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files of interest and synchronize their contents back to the host machine.
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In addition, the agent can be used to satisfy interactive requests for
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TAB-completion of remote file paths and previewing directory and file
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contents.
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The following asciicast shows lnav opening log files on MacOS and FreeBSD:
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<script id="asciicast-fblzf1Ir5Rr0b5wMGEJBb95ye"
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src="https://asciinema.org/a/fblzf1Ir5Rr0b5wMGEJBb95ye.js"
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async>
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</script>
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