# Filebeat reading remote log file

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-reading-remote-log-file/84360>\
**Category:** Beats\
**Tags:** filebeat\
**Created:** [May 3, 2017, 7:31am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-reading-remote-log-file/84360 "2017-05-03T07:31:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@rabbit](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/rabbit)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 7:31am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-reading-remote-log-file/84360/1 "2017-05-03T07:31:06Z")

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Hi guys !

I have some constraints in the servers that my applications servers are running. I'm not allowed to install Filebeat in the nodes.

The solution was to copy the logs to the machine where filebeat is running, and then filebeat can read the logs locally.  
But I have a delay in that, because the copy is not happen constantly .

That's why I would like to know if there is a way to have a Unique Filebeat installation pointing to different remote directories with the log files.  
In that way the harvesters should be capable to open and closing the files in the remote directory.  
All servers are using linux OS.

I couldn't find nothing about this in the documentations of filebeat.

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**Author:** ![warkolm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/warkolm/32/39224_2.png) [@warkolm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/warkolm)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 10:51am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-reading-remote-log-file/84360/2 "2017-05-03T10:51:36Z")

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Filebeat reads local files only sorry.

You sound try mounting the remote directories using nfs or sshfs.

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**Author:** ![rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@rabbit](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/rabbit)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 11:36am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-reading-remote-log-file/84360/3 "2017-05-03T11:36:25Z")

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"Filebeat reads local files only sorry"

Is that quoted anywhere in the documentation ?

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**Author:** ![warkolm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/warkolm/32/39224_2.png) [@warkolm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/warkolm)\
**Post date:** [May 3, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-reading-remote-log-file/84360/4 "2017-05-03T20:45:29Z")

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It is implied but not specifically. I'll see if we can add something.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 8:46pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-reading-remote-log-file/84360/5 "2017-05-31T20:46:00Z")

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