I have just finished the integration of a new postgres sql output module for rsyslog. The code was provided by sur5r. I am more than glad that rsyslog now supports the popular postgres sql engine. I am sure this is a very nice addition for the community.
Sur5r’s able-coded code also provided some feedback about the output module interface in general. The good news is that the amount of code needed in the actual output module was as low as initially thought.
But it also proved that module design still is less than perfect: there was a new date format needed to support postgres sql. This could not be done in the output module. Instead, sur5r had to modify the core files. He did this in an excellent way, but the point is that it is not a good thing this was needed at all. It is a result of the old, non-modular syslogd design which we inherited from sysklogd and have not yet changed. In fact, we are at the very beginning of modularization. The next thing on the list is a loadable function interface. With that, such modifications will no longer be necessary, a custom (loadable) function can than be provided.
This enhancement requires a number of changes in the core, most importantly in the template subsystem. This is most probably the next area of work I am heading to.
But for the time being, let’s celebrate that rsyslog now has postgres sql support! It will be released in 1.20.0, hopefully around the end of the week. A preview will be announced on the mailing list somewhat earlier. And if you can’t wait, simply pull it out of anonymous CVS – it’s in there as of this writing.