rlm_detail(5)

💅 rlm_detail(5) — FreeRADIUS Module 🫶

okay bestie, so this is the manual page for rlm_detail(5), aka the FreeRADIUS module that's lowkey the main character of packet logging. pull up a chair, we're gonna get into it ✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

rlm_detail — FreeRADIUS Module. yes, that's the whole name, she's simple and she serves 💅

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

So the rlm_detail module writes radius packets to 'detail' files. That's her whole job and she does it well. She's primarily used for storing accounting information, but no cap, you can also use her in other sections to write packet details too — she's versatile like that 🦋

The file format is similar to that of the old Livingston servers, which is honestly iconic behavior, and many 'detail' file parsers should work with FreeRADIUS. so like, your old tooling probably still eats, no need to panic 😌

The main configuration items to be aware of are:

• file — this is literally the file name where the radius packet records get stored. NOTE: this variable is run through dynamic string expansion, and it can include FreeRADIUS variables to create a dynamic filename. so you can be all:

%{radacctdir}/%{Client-IP-Address}/detail-%Y%m

and this will create one file per month, for each client. the way that just accomplishes 'file rotation' automatically from within the server?? obsessed. no cron job needed, she handles it herself 👑

• permissions — the file permissions of the file. if you omit it, the default is 0600. keep it locked down bestie 🔒
• locking — this option is set to 'yes' or 'no'. by default it is 'no'. set this to yes to enable file locking, which is used with the 'radrelay' program. only flip it if you actually need it, iykyk 🙈

🎀 CONFIGURATION 🎀

here's what it looks like in the wild, copy-paste energy, handle with care:

modules {
  ...
  detail {
    filename = ${radacctdir}/%{Client-IP-Address}/detail-%Y%m
    permissions = 0600
    dir_permissions = 0755
    locking = no
  }
  ...
}
  ...
accounting {
 ...
 detail
 ...
}

(yes, dir_permissions = 0755 is right there in the example — she's in the config, she's living her best life 🍓)

💖 SECTIONS 💖

she can do her thing in all of these, bestie:

• authorization
• accounting
• pre_proxy
• post_proxy
• post_authentication

🌈 FILES 🌈

• /etc/raddb/radiusd.conf

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• radiusd(8)
• radiusd.conf(5)

🧚 AUTHORS 🧚

Chris Parker, cparker@segv.org — ty for your service king 🫶

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and that's the whole vibe check, bestie 💜 this page is from way back on 27 June 2013, and it's still out here as rlm_detail(5) in the FreeRADIUS Module lineup — vintage but slaying, periodt ⭐