Consolidate your ESX logs with Kiwi Syslog

Kiwi Syslog Daemon is a freeware Syslog Daemon for Windows. It receives, logs, displays and forwards syslog messages from ESX hosts in real time. Actions can be performed on received messages and messages can be filtered by ESX host name, host IP address, priority, message text or time of day. 
Syslog messages can then be processed using events like:

• Display the message in the scrolling window  
• Logging the message to a text file  
• Forward the message to another syslog daemon  
• Log to an ODBC database  
• Log to the NT Application Event Log  
• E-mail the message to someone via SMTP  
• Triggering a sound alarm  
• Running an external program
• Send an SNMP Trap message  
• Page someone using NotePager Pro

How to Configure the ESX syslog Operation

The ESX syslogd daemon uses /etc/syslog.conf to determine where to write each log message. Logging can be directed to files on the local host, or to a central logging server, or both. The outbound port for syslog must be opened if remote logging is to occur.

Use SSH to log in to the service console as root.

Now open the port for outbound use:
# esxcfg-firewall -o 514,udp,out,syslog
Edit /etc/syslog.conf and append the following entry.
# nano -w /etc/syslog.conf

local6.notice<TAB><TAB><TAB>@192.168.29.1

Restart the syslogd process so that it will recognize the changes to /
etc/syslog.conf.
# service syslog restart

In the initial SSH session, execute the logger command:
# logger -p local6.notice “test message from Eric Sloof