'Quick Start' doesn't work.

[suzukaze]

Environment

OS: macOS Sierra version 10.12.1
ruby version: ruby 2.3.0p0 (2015-12-25 revision 53290) [x86_64-darwin15]
fluentd version: fluentd-0.14.8

How to reproduction

I executed the process of 'Quick Start' in README.md.

$ gem install fluentd
$ fluentd -s conf

fluentd -s conf generates conf/fluent.conf.
fluent.conf is:

# In v1 configuration, type and id are @ prefix parameters.
# @type and @id are recommended. type and id are still available for backward compatibility

## built-in TCP input
## $ echo <json> | fluent-cat <tag>
<source>
  @type forward
  @id forward_input
</source>

## built-in UNIX socket input
#<source>
#  @type unix
#</source>

# HTTP input
# http://localhost:8888/<tag>?json=<json>
<source>
  @type http
  @id http_input

  port 8888
</source>

## File input
## read apache logs with tag=apache.access
#<source>
#  @type tail
#  format apache
#  path /var/log/httpd-access.log
#  tag apache.access
#</source>

## Mutating event filter
## Add hostname and tag fields to apache.access tag events
#<filter apache.access>
#  @type record_transformer
#  <record>
#    hostname ${hostname}
#    tag ${tag}
#  </record>
#</filter>

## Selecting event filter
## Remove unnecessary events from apache prefixed tag events
#<filter apache.**>
#  @type grep
#  include1 method GET # pass only GET in 'method' field
#  exclude1 message debug # remove debug event
#</filter>

# Listen HTTP for monitoring
# http://localhost:24220/api/plugins
# http://localhost:24220/api/plugins?type=TYPE
# http://localhost:24220/api/plugins?tag=MYTAG
<source>
  @type monitor_agent
  @id monitor_agent_input

  port 24220
</source>

# Listen DRb for debug
<source>
  @type debug_agent
  @id debug_agent_input

  bind 127.0.0.1
  port 24230
</source>

## match tag=apache.access and write to file
#<match apache.access>
#  @type file
#  path /var/log/fluent/access
#</match>

## match tag=debug.** and dump to console
<match debug.**>
  @type stdout
  @id stdout_output
</match>

# match tag=system.** and forward to another fluent server
<match system.**>
  @type forward
  @id forward_output

  <server>
    host 192.168.0.11
  </server>
  <secondary>
    <server>
      host 192.168.0.12
    </server>
  </secondary>
</match>

## match tag=myapp.** and forward and write to file
#<match myapp.**>
#  @type copy
#  <store>
#    @type forward
#    buffer_type file
#    buffer_path /var/log/fluent/myapp-forward
#    retry_limit 50
#    flush_interval 10s
#    <server>
#      host 192.168.0.13
#    </server>
#  </store>
#  <store>
#    @type file
#    path /var/log/fluent/myapp
#  </store>
#</match>

## match fluent's internal events
#<match fluent.**>
#  @type null
#</match>

## match not matched logs and write to file
#<match **>
#  @type file
#  path /var/log/fluent/else
#  compress gz
#</match>

## Label: For handling complex event routing
#<label @STAGING>
#  <match system.**>
#    @type forward
#    @id staging_forward_output
#    <server>
#      host 192.168.0.101
#    </server>
#  </match>
#</label>

Error

Error logs are:

$ 2016-11-11 18:46:07 +0900 [info]: reading config file path="conf/fluent.conf"
2016-11-11 18:46:07 +0900 [info]: starting fluentd-0.14.8
2016-11-11 18:46:07 +0900 [info]: spawn command to main: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/bin/ruby -Eascii-8bit:ascii-8bit /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/bin/fluentd -c conf/fluent.conf --under-supervisor
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [info]: reading config file path="conf/fluent.conf"
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [info]: starting fluentd-0.14.8 without supervision
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [info]: gem 'fluentd' version '0.14.8'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [info]: adding match pattern="debug.**" type="stdout"
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [info]: adding match pattern="system.**" type="forward"
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [info]: adding forwarding server '192.168.0.12:24224' host="192.168.0.12" port=24224 weight=60 plugin_id="object:3fc7ead4663c"
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: unexpected error error="undefined method `compress' for nil:NilClass"
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/plugin/out_forward.rb:145:in `configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/plugin/output.rb:319:in `configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/plugin_helper/inject.rb:95:in `configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/plugin_helper/event_emitter.rb:60:in `configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/compat/output.rb:482:in `configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/plugin/out_forward.rb:120:in `configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/agent.rb:127:in `add_match'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/agent.rb:70:in `block in configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/agent.rb:63:in `each'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/agent.rb:63:in `configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/root_agent.rb:86:in `configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/engine.rb:119:in `configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/engine.rb:93:in `run_configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/supervisor.rb:693:in `run_configure'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/supervisor.rb:453:in `block in run_worker'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/supervisor.rb:626:in `main_process'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/supervisor.rb:449:in `run_worker'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/lib/fluent/command/fluentd.rb:288:in `<top (required)>'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/2.3.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:55:in `require'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/2.3.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:55:in `require'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/fluentd-0.14.8/bin/fluentd:5:in `<top (required)>'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/bin/fluentd:23:in `load'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [error]: /Users/hiroejun/.rbenv/versions/2.3.0/bin/fluentd:23:in `<main>'
2016-11-11 18:46:13 +0900 [info]: Worker 0 finished unexpectedly with status 1

Solution Plan

Quick Start works when the configure bellow is cmmented.

# match tag=system.** and forward to another fluent server
<match system.**>
  @type forward
  @id forward_output

  <server>
    host 192.168.0.11
  </server>
  <secondary>
    <server>
      host 192.168.0.12
    </server>
  </secondary>
</match>

Should we comment this configure('match tag=system.** and forward to another fluent server') by default?

[tagomoris]

I identified the root cause of this problem: out_forward has a bug to crash when it's used as secondary plugin.
I pushed a fix for this problem #1313.
@suzukaze Thank you for reporting!