title: Configure CloudWatch log monitoring for Windows server out of AWS (non-EC2 instance)
body: <p>I have <strong>MS Windows Server 2012 R2 running out of AWS</strong> facilities and want to watch its logs by CloudWatch.</p>
  
  <p>Configuring Linux server, which is not an EC2 instance, works well as there are instructions how to install agents sending log records to CloudWatch regardless of where the server runs.</p>
  
  <p>However, searching for such instructions for MS Windows server I am only able to find references for EC2Config Service, e.g. here <a href="http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/WindowsGuide/UsingConfig_WinAMI.html#UsingConfig_Install" rel="nofollow">http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/WindowsGuide/UsingConfig_WinAMI.html#UsingConfig_Install</a></p>
  
  <p>It is possible, that I can simply install the service on "nonEC2" instance and it will work, but as the server is in production mode, I do not dare to do blind test ignoring risk of getting the server into problems.</p>
  
  <p>Note, that <strong>I care about watching logs written to log files</strong>, I do not care (currently) about system log content.</p>
  
  <p>It would help me if:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>someone refers to positive experience with using EC2Config service on nonEC2 server</li>
  <li>or someone proposes alternative method to get the log records into CloudWatch.</li>
  </ul>