A method for distributing logging and tracing information in a network node is disclosed. In one embodiment, log messages generated locally on the line cards are collected by Secondary Log Managers residing on the line cards. The Secondary Log Managers process the collected messages and transfers at least part of them to a Primary Log Manager residing at the control module. Then, the Primary Log Manager can output the logging and tracing messages to a system monitor or to other output devices, such as a Command Line Interface (CLI) shell or a file.