Getting log4j's SocketNode and SocketAppender to work

Question

For the past week I've been struggeling hard to get remote logging working using the log4j SocketNode and SocketAppender, but failed to succeed. Unfortunately there is not so much information on the log4j.net package to be found on the internet, lets forget about a working example.
This is what I've been doing so far:
SimpleSocketServer
On the server I'm running a SimpleSocketServer instance on port 4445 through the command:
java -classpath D:\RemoteLog4JServer\lib\log4j-1.2.12.jar org.apache.log4j.net.SimpleSocketServer 4445 simplesocketserver.properties
The simplesocketserver.properties file looks like:
log4j.rootLogger=debug,stdout,R
log4j.appender.stdout=org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender
log4j.appender.stdout.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
# Pattern to output the caller's file name and line number.
log4j.appender.stdout.layout.ConversionPattern=%5p [%t] (%F:%L) - %m%n
log4j.appender.R=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
log4j.appender.R.File=remote_log.log
log4j.appender.R.MaxFileSize=1024KB
log4j.appender.R.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.R.layout.ConversionPattern=%p %t %c - %m%nOn the system console I see this server is running fine.
Next step is to start a SocketNode-instance through a Java application.
The main code of this class looks like:
//-- Start a new SocketNode
try {
System.out.println("Accessing socket on host " + m_hostName + " through port " + m_port);
Socket socket = new Socket(m_hostName, new Integer(m_port).intValue());
//-- All right so far, now create the SocketNode
System.out.println("Create the SocketNode listener");
new SocketNode(socket, new Hierarchy(Logger.getRootLogger()));
catch ..... Host and port are passed through application parameters and are 127.0.0.1 and 4445
Again on the server console it confirms the listener is bound to the socket on port 4445 ...
The last part of the puzzle is a test client application which sends remote logging events to the server.
The body of this class looks like:
static Logger logger = Logger.getRootLogger();
public static void main(String argv[]) {
// Try sending logging events through the SocketAppender in the log4j_remote.properties file
System.out.println("Try sending logs through the SocketAppender in the log4j.properties file");
PropertyConfigurator.configure("log4j_remote.properties"); //Logs to a SocketAppender; host 127.0.0.1, port 4445
logger.debug("Hello world");
logger.info("What a beatiful day.");
// And try sending logging events through SocketAppender instance
System.out.println("Try sending logs through a SocketAppender instance");
SocketAppender sa = new SocketAppender("171.21.241.122", 4445);
System.out.println("Created SocketAppender instance");
String logMsg = "Writing log event through SocketAppender instance";
LoggingEvent le = new LoggingEvent("fox.teststuff.TestLog4J",Logger.getRootLogger(),Level.DEBUG,logMsg, new Throwable());
sa.append(le);
sa.close();
}As you can see I tried remote logging on two ways:
1.
Through the log4j_remote.properties file by configuring a SocketAppender. This file looks like:
log4j.rootCategory=DEBUG,stdout,A1
# ConsoleAppender
log4j.appender.stdout=org.apache.log4j.ConsoleAppender
log4j.appender.stdout.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
# Pattern to output the caller's file name and line number.
log4j.appender.stdout.layout.ConversionPattern=%5p [%t] (%F:%L) - %m%n
# A1 is set to be a SocketAppender sending its output to the server running on the remote host, port 12345.
log4j.appender.A1=org.apache.log4j.net.SocketAppender
log4j.appender.A1.Port=4445
log4j.appender.A1.RemoteHost=[IP_ADDRESS_SERVER]2.
By using a SocketAppender instance.
But unfortunately neither work. The log remote_log.log gets created as the SimpleSocketServer is started. It contains entries of the successfull starting of the server and the SocketNode.
I also see the logs coming in the client console on running the test applicattion.
There is no firewall between client and server, and I am able to setup a tellnet session from client to server and vice versa through port 4445 (after launching the SimpleSocketServer).
Furthermore I used some IP-sniffing tools to check the IP-traffic from client to server, and this shows me the TCP/IP packet is successfully sent on the client, and successfully received on the server.
But no client-entries appear in the server log :-(
I would be very gratefull if someone has got a clue. And you can be sure I will pass this knowledge on to the community.
Thanks in advance, kind greetings,
Harro de Vos

Answer 1

UPDATE:
Meanwhile I discovered 2 problems, with many thanks to my collegue Pattrick.
1.
The SimpleSocketServer is a server/listener which makes use of the SocketNode-class. Therefore it was needless and wrong for me to launch a SocketNode-instance in my StartSocketNode-class. This probably only caused conflicts.
2.
In my testclass I tried to create remote logging events on 2 ways, though the SocketAppender in the log4j.properties file and through the use of a programmed instance of the SocketAppender-class.
It could very well be running these two methods in the same thread also causes conflicts, so I tried them seperately.
I didn't get the first one to work (through the properties file), but the second solution (SocketAppender instance) did the trick for me!!
Only remaining issue is this solution causes an EOFException.
Anybody any ideas about this?