The collected log data can be sent to Log Service over the Alibaba Cloud intranet, the Internet, or by using Global Accelerator.
Network type
- Internet: Transmission of log data over the Internet can be limited by the network bandwidth. In addition, network issues such as jitters, latency, and packet loss may affect the speed and stability of data transmission.
- Alibaba Cloud intranet: The Alibaba Cloud intranet supports gigabit shared bandwidth
and transmits log data more quickly and stably than the Internet. The intranet may
be a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and a classic network.
Note If you switch an ECS instance from a classic network to a VPC after you install Logtail on the instance, update Logtail configurations. For more information, see Do I need to update Logtail settings after the network type is changed?
- Global Accelerator: This network service accelerates log collection by using the edge nodes of Alibaba Cloud Content Delivery Network (CDN). Compared with the method for log collection over the Internet, Global Accelerator offers a more stable network with minimal transmission latency.
Select a network type
- Alibaba Cloud intranet:
Your server type and whether your server and Log Service project are in the same region determine whether your log data is transmitted over the Alibaba Cloud intranet. You can use the Alibaba Cloud intranet to transmit log data in the following scenarios:
- The ECS instances and the Log Service project of your account are in the same region.
- The ECS instances of other accounts and the Log Service project of your account are in the same region.
Therefore, we recommend that you create a Log Service project in the region where your ECS instances reside and enable Logtail to collect logs to this project. The log data of the ECS instances is automatically written to Log Service over the Alibaba Cloud intranet, without consuming the Internet bandwidth.Note When you install Logtail on a server, you must select the region in which the Log Service project resides. Otherwise, log data on the server cannot be collected. - Global Accelerator:
If your servers are located in on-premises data centers outside China or provided by cloud service vendors outside China, data transmission over the Internet may cause problems such as high latency and unstable transmission. In this case, you can enable Global Accelerator for data transmission. Global Accelerator accelerates log collection by using the edge nodes of Alibaba Cloud CDN. Compared with the Internet, Global Accelerator offers a more stable network with minimal transmission latency.
- Internet:
You can use the Internet to transmit log data in the following scenarios:
- The server is an ECS instance that resides in a different region from the Log Service project.
- The server is provided by another cloud service vendor or deployed in an on-premises data center.
| Server type | Reside in the same region as the project | Configure an AliUid | Network type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECS instance under your account | Yes | Not required | Alibaba Cloud intranet |
| No | Not required | Internet or Global Accelerator | |
| ECS instance under another account | Yes | Required | Alibaba Cloud intranet |
| No | Required | Internet or Global Accelerator | |
| Server provided by another cloud service vendor or located in an on-premises data center | N/A | Required | Internet or Global Accelerator |
Note Log Service cannot obtain owner information about the ECS instances under other accounts,
servers provided by other cloud service vendors, or servers located in on-premises
data centers. If you install Logtail on such ECS instances or servers, you must manually
configure AliUids for them. Otherwise, Log Service cannot receive their heartbeats
or collect their logs. For more information, see Configure an AliUid.
Network selection example
The following examples show how to select a network type based on your actual scenario.
Note When Global Accelerator is enabled, the data collection speed and reliability are
important factors because the Log Service project is created in the China (Hong Kong)
region but the servers are located in the data centers located worldwide. Therefore,
we recommend that you select the Global Accelerator network type in the China (Hong
Kong) region when you install Logtail in similar scenarios. Compared with the method
for log transmission over the Internet, Global Accelerator transmits log data with
higher stability and performance.
| Scenario | Region of the Log Service project | Server type | ECS region | Region selected when Logtail is installed | Network type | Configure an AliUid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| An ECS instance under your account and the Log Service project are in the same region. | China (Hangzhou) | ECS instance under your account | China (Hangzhou) | China (Hangzhou) | Alibaba Cloud intranet | Not required |
| An ECS instance under your account and the Log Service project are in different regions. | China (Shanghai) | ECS instance under your account | China (Beijing) | China (Shanghai) | Internet | Not required |
| An ECS instance is created by another account. | China (Shanghai) | ECS instance created by another account | China (Beijing) | China (Shanghai) | Internet | Required |
| A server is located in an on-premises data center. | China (Shenzhen) | Server located in an on-premises data center | N/A | China (Shenzhen) | Internet | Required |
| Global Accelerator is enabled. | China (Hong Kong) | Server located in an on-premises data center | N/A | China (Hong Kong) | Global Accelerator | Required |
