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+This Apache module will permit you to log to a SQL database; it can +log each access request as well as data associated with each request: +cookies, notes, and inbound/outbound headers. Unlike logging to a +flat text file - which is standard in Apache - a SQL-based log exhibits +tremendous flexibility and power of data extraction. (See section +4.1.1 in the FAQ for further discussion and examples of the +advantages to SQL.) + +
+This module can either replace or happily coexist with mod_log_config, +Apache's text file logging facility. In addition to being more configurable +than the standard module, mod_log_sql is much more flexible. + +
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+This project was formerly known as ``mod_log_mysql.'' It was +renamed ``mod_log_sql'' in order to reflect the project goal +of database-inspecificity. The module currently supports MySQL, but +support for other database backends is underway. + +
+In order to save speed and overhead, links are kept alive in between +queries. This module uses one dedicated SQL link per httpd child, +opened by each child process when it is born. Among other things, +this means that this module supports logging into only one MySQL server, +and for now, also, only one SQL database. But that's a small tradeoff +compared to the blinding speed of this module. Error reporting is +robust throughout the module and will inform the administrator of +database issues in the Apache ERRORLOG for the server/virtual +server. + +
+Virtual hosts are supported in the same manner they are in the regular +logging modules. The administrator defines some basic 'global' directives +in the main server config, then defines more specific 'local' directives +inside each VirtualHost stanza. + +
+A robust "preserve" capability has now been implemented. +This permits the module to preserve any failed INSERT commands to +a local file on its machine. In any situation that the database is +unavailable - e.g. the network fails or the database host is rebooted +- mod_log_sql will note this in the error log and begin appending +its log entries to the preserve file (which is created with the user +& group ID of the running Apache process, e.g. "nobody/nobody" +on many Linux installations). When database availablity returns, mod_log_sql +seamlessly resumes logging to it. When convenient for the sysadmin, +he/she can easily import the preserve file into the database because +it is simply a series of SQL insert statements. + +
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+All the data that would be contained in the "Combined Log +Format" is logged by default, plus a little extra. Your best +bet is to begin by accepting this default, then later customize the +log configuration based on your needs. + +
+The documentation of the run-time directives includes a full explanation +of what you can log, including examples - see section 3.6. + +
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+In MySQL 3.21 and above you can easily convert this to a human readable +format using from_unixtime(), e.g.: + +
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+The actual logging code was taken from the already existing flat file +text modules, so all that credit goes to the Apache Server group. + +
+The MySQL routines and directives were added by Zeev Suraski <bourbon@netvision.net.il>. + +
+All changes from 1.06+ and the new documentation were added by Chris +Powell <chris@grubbybaby.com>. It seems that the module had fallen +into the "unmaintained" category - it hadn't been +updated since 1998 - so Chris adopted it as the new maintainer. + +
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