# syslog-ng

By default, Axoflow treats syslog-ng sources as a [generic syslog source](../../../docs/axoflow/data-sources/generic/index.md).

  * The easiest way to send data from syslog-ng to Axoflow is to configure it to send data to an AxoRouter instance using the syslog protocol.
  * If you’re using syslog-ng Open Source Edition version 4.4 or newer, use the `syslog-ng-otlp()` driver to send data to AxoRouter using the OpenTelemetry Protocol.



Note that even if syslog-ng is acting as a relay (receiving data from other clients and forwarding them to AxoRouter), on the **Topology** page it will be displayed as a data source.

## Prerequisites

  * You have administrative access to the device running syslog-ng.
  * The date, time, and time zone are correctly set on the appliance.
  * You have an [AxoRouter deployed and configured](../../../docs/axoflow/provisioning/axorouter/index.md) with a [Syslog connector](../../../docs/axoflow/data-sources/syslog/index.md) that has parsing and classification enabled (by default, every AxoRouter has such connectors). This device is going to receive the data from the source. 
  * You know the IP address the AxoRouter. To find it:

    1. Open the AxoConsole.
    2. Select the **Routers** or the **Topology** page.
    3. Select on AxoRouter instance that is going to receive the logs.
    4. Check the **Networks > Address** field.



Note To receive more detailed metrics about the data processed by syslog-ng, consider [onboarding the host into Axoflow and instrumenting its configuration](../../../docs/axoflow/provisioning/syslog-ng/index.md).