Otel Collector Layer Logs Merged with Application Logs?

[vvsage]

Hey everyone,

I'm working on an AWS Lambda setup and could use some help with logging. Here's what's going on:

Setup:
Lambda Function: Uses both the OpenTelemetry Java agent layer and the OTel Collector layer.
Logging Goal: I want to stop using CloudWatch and have all my logs go straight to New Relic.

What I've Done So Far:
Removed the CloudWatch policy to bypass sending logs there.
Success: My application logs are now successfully sending to New Relic.
Issue: Logs from the OTel agent and collector aren’t being sent to New Relic . They’re showing up in CloudWatch, which I think is because the layers default to stdout.

Additional Concern:
I'm worried that if the collector fails to start or encounters an error in the future, I won't be able to see those issues since the collector logs are only visible in CloudWatch and I've disabled it.

My Questions:
Is there a way to configure the OpenTelemetry Java agent and Collector layers so that both my application logs and the OTel layer logs are merged and sent directly to New Relic?

How can I ensure that I still have visibility into collector errors or issues without relying on CloudWatch?

Any tips, examples, or best practices on how to set this up would be super helpful!

Thanks a bunch!