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Chipper Log Collector

The Chipper Log Collector is a lightweight Windows service that watches configured instrument log files and ships new data continuously. It is designed for files that grow while an instrument is running, so new content can be processed incrementally.

Requirements​

  • Windows 10 or 11, or Windows Server 2016 or later, 64-bit.
  • Local administrator permission to install a Windows service.
  • Outbound HTTPS access to the destination shown by the Chipper wizard and to downloads.chipper.bio for installation and updates.
  • Access to the folders that contain the intended instrument logs.

The installed Windows service is named ChipperLogCollector.

  1. In Chipper, go to Configure → Log Sources.
  2. Select New log source and link the source to an instrument.
  3. Choose Agent → Chipper cloud.
  4. On Install the agent, choose whether to enroll a new collector or bind one that is already enrolled.
  5. For a new collector, download the MSI and run the generated PowerShell installation command on the instrument PC. The enrollment token in that command is sensitive and single-use.
  6. Wait for the collector to check in. The wizard advances after Chipper sees the enrollment.
  7. On Point at local logs, add at least one specific include pattern and any required exclusions or encoding.
  8. Finish setup.

The wizard creates and manages the log-source connection. You do not need to create a customer cloud bucket for this route.

Choose safe file patterns​

Use patterns that select only the intended instrument's logs, for example:

C:\InstrumentLogs\Hamilton\*.trc

Avoid a broad pattern such as C:\**\*. A catch-all can read unrelated files and makes instrument attribution unreliable.

If the instrument rotates or splits logs, include every relevant pattern and exclude temporary, lock, or partial-transfer files that should not be ingested.

Reuse an existing collector​

One enrolled collector can serve more than one source on the same machine. In the wizard, choose the existing collector and add a separate local-log configuration for the new instrument. Keep each source's file patterns distinct.

Configure​

The in-app wizard manages the normal Agent → Chipper cloud configuration. Use the following standalone path only when the collector must write to customer-owned storage.

Standalone collector into customer storage​

Choose Standalone agent → your cloud when the collector should write to customer-owned AWS S3, Azure Blob Storage, or Google Cloud Storage before Chipper reads the data.

The wizard:

  1. Asks which cloud provider the standalone collector will use.
  2. Provides the installer and a provider-specific sample configuration.
  3. Collects Chipper's read credentials for the bucket or container.
  4. Configures instant or scheduled import.

Customer storage credentials remain in the collector configuration on the machine. Chipper receives separate read credentials through the source wizard.

Keep the object prefix and notifications aligned

If an AWS event notification is scoped to a prefix, that prefix must cover the object path written by the collector. Otherwise the collector can upload successfully while Chipper never receives an arrival notification.

For a centrally managed deployment across many instrument PCs, see Enterprise Fleet Deployment.

Verify the service​

In PowerShell:

Get-Service ChipperLogCollector

The status should be Running.

Then verify the full path in Chipper:

  1. Open Configure → Log Sources and confirm the source is active.
  2. Open Investigate → Log Files and wait for a new file to reach Processed.
  3. Open the file details to confirm the correct instrument, method, runs, and events.

Troubleshooting​

The collector does not check in​

  • Confirm you used the current command from the source wizard.
  • Confirm the single-use enrollment token was not already consumed.
  • Confirm the PC can reach the required Chipper endpoints over HTTPS.
  • If the collector was enrolled previously, bind the existing collector instead.

No files arrive​

  • Confirm the Windows service is running.
  • Confirm the include pattern matches a real file and the service account can read it.
  • Check exclusions and file encoding.
  • For standalone mode, confirm that objects reach the customer bucket and that its notification prefix matches the collector's write path.

Files arrive under the wrong instrument​

  • Confirm each source is linked to the intended instrument.
  • Remove overlapping include patterns or cloud prefixes.
  • Do not let two sources claim the same local or cloud path.

For additional help, contact Chipper Support.