Sys-ctl-hlth-journalctl Role

Description: Scheduled health check scanning the systemd journal for daily errors and alerting on matches

Variables

  • author: Kevin Veen-Birkenbach

  • description: Scheduled health check scanning the systemd journal for daily errors and alerting on matches

  • company: Kevin Veen-Birkenbach https://www.veen.world

  • license: Infinito.Nexus Community License (Non-Commercial)

  • min_ansible_version: 2.9

  • platforms: [{‘name’: ‘ArchLinux’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘Debian’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘EL’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘Fedora’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}, {‘name’: ‘Ubuntu’, ‘versions’: [‘all’]}]

  • galaxy_tags: [‘monitor’, ‘journalctl’, ‘logs’, ‘health’, ‘systemd’]

README

sys-ctl-hlth-journalctl

Description

Scans journalctl over the last day for “error” entries outside container logs and alerts if any are found.

Overview

This role searches the systemd journal for errors over the past day and alerts if any are found. Container output is skipped, because every compose service logs to journald and application errors would otherwise trigger the host check. Docker daemon and system errors are still reported.

Cosmos

The diagram places sys-ctl-hlth-journalctl in the Infinito.Nexus cosmos: the components it deploys (capabilities), the central services it consumes (dependencies), and its outward reach (federation and bridged external networks).

flowchart LR
    subgraph role [sys-ctl-hlth-journalctl 💻]
        svc_journalctl["journalctl"]
    end

Solid 1:1 edges are fixed relationships; dashed 0..1 edges are conditional (enabled only in matching deployments); red 0..0 edges are turned off in this role. Node markers show the role’s deploy modes (💻 host, 🐳 compose, 🐝 swarm); ❌ marks a service that is explicitly turned off, and ⚙️ an Ansible role dependency declared in meta/main.yml.

Features

  • Reads the last day of the journal as JSON with every field in full (--all) and drops every entry that carries a CONTAINER_ID field.

  • Joins a repeated MESSAGE field into one line before matching.

  • Matches the remaining messages case-insensitively against error.

  • Prints one source: message line per match, naming the systemd unit or, without one, the syslog identifier, so alerts show who logged the error.

  • Exits non-zero on matches, and also when journalctl itself fails, so a broken check never passes silently.

  • Scheduled via systemd timer.

  • Alerts via sys-ctl-alm-compose on detection.

Usage

Include the role; set on_calendar_health_journalctl for your preferred schedule.

Credits

Implemented by Kevin Veen-Birkenbach. Part of the Infinito.Nexus Project and maintained by Kevin Veen-Birkenbach. Licensed under the Infinito.Nexus Community License (Non-Commercial).