How can the developer accomplish this?
Install an AWS SDK on the on-premises server to automatically send logs to CloudWatch.
Download the CloudWatch agent to the on-premises server. Configure the agent to use IAM user credentials with permissions for CloudWatch.
Upload log files from the on-premises server to Amazon S3 and have CloudWatch read the files.
Upload log files from the on-premises server to an Amazon EC2 instance and have the instance forward the logs to CloudWatch.
Explanations:
While installing an AWS SDK on the on-premises server can enable sending logs to CloudWatch, it would require custom development to manage and format the logs. This option lacks the simplicity and ease of configuration provided by the CloudWatch agent.
Downloading and configuring the CloudWatch agent on the on-premises server allows for efficient and direct sending of logs and metrics to CloudWatch. The agent can be set up to use IAM user credentials with the necessary permissions, ensuring secure and streamlined log management.
Uploading log files to Amazon S3 does not provide real-time monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities. CloudWatch does not directly read log files from S3 without additional configuration or setup (like Lambda functions or S3 event notifications), which adds complexity.
While this option could technically work, it introduces unnecessary complexity by involving an EC2 instance as an intermediary. The CloudWatch agent directly on the on-premises server is a more straightforward and efficient approach for monitoring and troubleshooting.
If I had to guess, I’d say the answer is:
Download the CloudWatch agent to the on-premises server. Configure the agent to use IAM user credentials with permissions for CloudWatch.