Optimized README file for elk example.

Author: geerlingguy

elk/README.md

@@ -1,29 +1,20 @@
 # Ansible Vagrant profile for ELK (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana)
 
-## Background
+This project builds a two-server ELK stack using Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana, and Filebeat to ship, store, and expose logs.
 
-Vagrant and VirtualBox (or some other VM provider) can be used to quickly build or rebuild virtual servers.
+The first server (`logs`) has the entire ELK stack running, and pushes local auth.log entries into Elasticsearch via Filebeat and Logstash. The second server (`webs`) runs an Nginx webserver and pushes the webserver access.log file and the server's auth.log entries into Elasticsearch via the `logs` server's Logstash instance.
 
-This Vagrant profile configures two servers:
+Logs are transmitted securely using a self-signed certificate (see the `elk-vagrant-example` certificate).
 
-  1. A server with the ELK stack ([Elasticsearch](http://www.elasticsearch.org/), [Logstash](http://logstash.net/), and [Kibana](http://www.elasticsearch.org/overview/kibana/)) using the [Ansible](http://www.ansible.com/) provisioner.
-  2. A server with the Nginx and [Filebeat](https://www.elastic.co/products/beats/filebeat) using the [Ansible](http://www.ansible.com/) provisioner, which routes Nginx access logs to the first server.
+## Building the VMs
 
-## Getting Started
+  1. Download and install [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads).
+  2. Download and install [Vagrant](http://www.vagrantup.com/downloads.html).
+  3. [Mac/Linux only] Install [Ansible](http://docs.ansible.com/intro_installation.html).
+  4. Run `ansible-galaxy install -r requirements.yml` in this directory to get the required Ansible roles.
+  5. Run `vagrant up` to build the VMs.
 
-This README file is inside a folder that contains a `Vagrantfile` (hereafter this folder shall be called the [vagrant_root]), which tells Vagrant how to set up your virtual machine in VirtualBox.
-
-To use the vagrant file, you will need to have done the following:
-
-  1. Download and Install [VirtualBox](https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads)
-  2. Download and Install [Vagrant](https://www.vagrantup.com/downloads.html)
-  3. Install [Ansible](https://www.ansible.com/) ([guide for installing Ansible](http://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/intro_installation.html))
-  4. Open a shell prompt (Terminal app on a Mac) and cd into the folder containing the `Vagrantfile`
-  5. Run the following command to install the necessary Ansible roles for this profile: `$ ansible-galaxy install -r requirements.yml`
-
-Once all of that is done, you can simply type in `vagrant up`, and Vagrant will create both new VMs and configure them.
-
-Once the VMs are up and running (after `vagrant up` is complete and you're back at the command prompt), you can log into either one via SSH if you'd like by typing in `vagrant ssh [name]` (either `logs` for the ELK server, or `webs` for the Nginx server). Otherwise, the next steps are below.
+Once the VMs are up and running (after `vagrant up` is complete and you're back at the command prompt), you can log into either one via SSH if you'd like by typing in `vagrant ssh [name]` (either `logs` for the ELK server, or `webs` for the Nginx web server). Otherwise, the next steps are below.
 
 ### Setting up your hosts file