# Beats generate files under /tmp

**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/beats-generate-files-under-tmp/224231
**Category:** Beats
**Created:** [March 19, 2020, 8:44am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/beats-generate-files-under-tmp/224231 "2020-03-19T08:44:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![stefws](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/stefws/32/6442_2.png) [@stefws](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/stefws)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2020, 8:44am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/beats-generate-files-under-tmp/224231/1 "2020-03-19T08:44:31Z")

</div>

when installed and running auditbeat and filebeat [7.6.1] on Linux I find files like below under /tmp:

```
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 66 Mar 19 09:15 filebeat.INFO -> filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091516.3866
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 67 Mar 19 09:25 auditbeat.INFO -> auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-092507.4097
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 69 Mar 19 09:15 filebeat.WARNING -> filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091516.3866
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root 70 Mar 19 09:25 auditbeat.WARNING -> auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-092507.4097
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 192 Mar 19 09:15 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091516.3866
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 192 Mar 19 09:15 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091513.3860
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 192 Mar 19 09:12 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091248.3751
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 192 Mar 19 09:15 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091516.3866
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 192 Mar 19 09:15 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091513.3860
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 192 Mar 19 09:12 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091248.3751
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 192 Mar 19 09:18 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091840.4048
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 192 Mar 19 09:18 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091840.4048
-rw-r-----. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:14 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091446.3849
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:13 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091349.3836
-rw-r-----. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:12 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091248.3798
-rw-r-----. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:14 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091446.3849
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:13 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091349.3836
-rw-r-----. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:12 filebeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091248.3798
-rw-r-----. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:25 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-092507.4097
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:19 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091908.4058
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:18 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091811.4037
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:17 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091748.4027
-rw-r-----. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:16 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.WARNING.20200319-091617.3976
-rw-r-----. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:25 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-092507.4097
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:19 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091908.4058
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:18 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091811.4037
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:17 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091748.4027
-rw-r-----. 1 root root 568 Mar 19 09:16 auditbeat.stws-guinea-pig.root.log.INFO.20200319-091617.3976

```

What would be the purposes of such and to what extent might their sizes grow/change/rotation eta.?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![stefws](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/stefws/32/6442_2.png) [@stefws](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/stefws)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2020, 8:55am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/beats-generate-files-under-tmp/224231/2 "2020-03-19T08:55:42Z")

</div>

Seems they don't really grow much but just gets created at daemon launches...

Both .INFO and .WARNING seems to contains W event/Warnings, is that expected?

```
[root@stws-guinea-pig tmp]# cat auditbeat.INFO
Log file created at: 2020/03/19 09:25:07
Running on machine: stws-guinea-pig
Binary: Built with gc go1.13.8 for linux/amd64
Log line format: [IWEF]mmdd hh:mm:ss.uuuuuu threadid file:line] msg
W0319 09:25:07.491949 4097 client_config.go:541] Neither --kubeconfig nor --master was specified. Using the inClusterConfig. This might not work.
W0319 09:25:07.492533 4097 client_config.go:546] error creating inClusterConfig, falling back to default config: unable to load in-cluster configuration, KUBERNETES_SERVICE_HOST and KUBERNETES_SERVICE_PORT must be defined

[root@stws-guinea-pig tmp]# cat auditbeat.WARNING
Log file created at: 2020/03/19 09:25:07
Running on machine: stws-guinea-pig
Binary: Built with gc go1.13.8 for linux/amd64
Log line format: [IWEF]mmdd hh:mm:ss.uuuuuu threadid file:line] msg
W0319 09:25:07.491949 4097 client_config.go:541] Neither --kubeconfig nor --master was specified. Using the inClusterConfig. This might not work.
W0319 09:25:07.492533 4097 client_config.go:546] error creating inClusterConfig, falling back to default config: unable to load in-cluster configuration, KUBERNETES_SERVICE_HOST and KUBERNETES_SERVICE_PORT must be defined

```

Might it stem from having the add\_kubernetes\_metadata processor (even though this test server isn't a kubernetes box):

```
processors:
  - add_host_metadata: ~
  - add_cloud_metadata: ~
  - add_docker_metadata: ~
  - add_kubernetes_metadata: ~

```

EDIT: These files doesn't appear when launched without the add\_kubernetes\_metadata processor, what's the purpose with these rather than logging in the general beat log (path.log)?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2020, 10:55am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/beats-generate-files-under-tmp/224231/3 "2020-04-16T10:55:46Z")

</div>

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