Configuration file for syslogd
/etc/syslog.conf
The /etc/syslog.conf file is the configurationfile for the syslogddaemon.It consists oflines with two fields:
- Selector field
- The types of messages and priorities to which the line applies.
- Action field
- The action to take if amessage received by syslogd matches the selectioncriteria.
 | Use one or more tab characters to separate the selector and action fields. |
The selectors are encoded as a facility, a dot(.), and a level, with nointervening whitespace. Both the facility and thelevel are case-insensitive.
The facility describes the part of the systemgenerating the message, and is one of the followingkeywords:
- auth
- authpriv
- cron
- daemon
- kern
- lpr
- mail
- mark
- news
- syslog
- user
- uucp
- local0 through local7.
These keywords (with the exception of mark)correspond to the similar “LOG_” valuesspecified to the openlog() andsyslog() routines.
The level describes the severity of the message,and is a keyword from the following ordered (higher tolower) list:
- emerg
- alert
- crit
- err
- warning
- notice
- info
- debug
These keywords also correspond to the similar“LOG_” values specified to thesyslog() routine.For further descriptions of both the facility andlevel keywords and their significance, see syslog()in the Library Reference.
If a received message matches the specifiedfacility and is of the specified (or higher)level, then the action specified in theaction field is taken.You can specify multiple selectors for a singleaction by separating them with semicolon(;) characters.
| Note that each selector can modify the onespreceding it. |
You can specify multiple facilities for a singlelevel by separating them with comma (,)characters.You can use an asterisk (*) to specify allfacilities or all levels.
The special facility mark receives amessage at priority info every 20 minutes (seesyslogd).The special level none disables aparticular facility.
The action field of each line specifies the action to betaken when the selector field selects a message:
| A first character of: | Indicates: | The selected messages are: |
|---|
| / | A pathname | Appended to the file |
| @ | A hostname | Forwarded to the syslogd program on the named host |
| - If you specify a pathname for an action, the file must exist when syslogd readsits configuration file.Otherwise the action is ignored.
- If you're using slogger, and you want to redirect syslogd output to it, send the log messages to /dev/console (which slogger monitors) by doing one of the following:
- Specify an action that sends the logs to /dev/console, such as:
*.* /dev/console and then start syslogd. - Specify the LOG_CONS flag when you call openlog()
|
Blank lines and lines whose first nonblank character is ahash (#) character are ignored.
A configuration file might appear as follows:
# Log all kernel messages, authentication messages of# level notice or higher and anything of level err or# higher to the console.# Don't log private authentication messages!*.err;kern.*;auth.notice;authpriv.none /dev/console# Log anything (except mail) of level info or higher.# Don't log private authentication messages!*.info;mail.none;authpriv.none /var/log/messages# The authpriv file has restricted access.authpriv.* /var/log/secure# Log all the mail messages in one place.mail.* /var/log/maillog
The effects of multiple selectors aren't always intuitive.For example, mail.crit,*.err selectsmail facility messages at the level of error higher, not at the level of crit orhigher.
Logging messages to users isn't currently implemented.
logger,syslogd
closelog(),openlog(),setlogmask(),syslog(),vsyslog()in the C Library Reference
FAQs
The syslog daemon processing is controlled by a configuration file called /etc/syslog. conf in which you define logging rules and output destinations for error messages, authorization violation messages, and trace data.
How to check syslog configuration in Linux? ›
To view these policies, go to Registry > Events > Event Manager. Use the sort and filter tools to view all policies of type "syslog." From the same page, you can edit these event policies or create your own event policies based on syslog messages.
What is the rsyslog conf file? ›
The primary configuration file for rsyslog, located at /etc/rsyslog. conf , acts as the central point for establishing logging rules. This file is used to define input modules, filters, actions, and global directives, facilitating the processes of log collection, filtering, routing, and formatting.
How to edit syslog.conf in Linux? ›
Configuring syslog on Linux OS
- Log in to your Linux OS device, as a root user.
- Open the /etc/syslog.conf file and add the following facility information: authpriv.*@ <ip_address> Where: ...
- Save the file.
- Restart syslog by typing the following command: service syslog restart.
- Log in to the QRadar product.
This location of the syslog is /var/log/system. log. On newer MacOS versions, you will find the log at /private/var/log/system.
Where is config located? ›
1 Answer. In your home folder ( ~ , usually /home/<username> ) the . config folder has lots of config files for many programs (some use other "hidden dotfiles" that begin with a dot, like . xxxx folders or files, also in the home folder) and often the desktop / display manager settings too.
Where is the syslog-ng config file? ›
Stopping the running syslog allows you to use the same syslog-ng configuration on any operating system to collect local log messages. The syslog-ng configuration is usually stored in /etc/syslog-ng/syslog-ng. conf or in a similar directory.
Where is config log Linux? ›
The default location for log files in Linux is /var/log . You can view the list of log files in this directory with the following command: ls -l /var/log.
How to start syslogd in Linux? ›
If you start syslogd from a shell script, start it as a background shell command by specifying an ampersand (&) as the last character on the command. If you do not specify the ampersand, control does not return to the shell until syslogd ends.
How do I read a syslog file in Linux? ›
Issue the command vi syslog to view everything under the syslog. Zooming in on a specific issue will take a while since these files are long. You can use Shift+G to get to the end of the file, denoted by “END.” You can also view logs via dmesg, which prints the kernel ring buffer and sends you to the end of the file.
This option is meant to verify a config file. To do so, run rsyslogd interactively in foreground, specifying -f <config-file> and -N level. The level argument modifies behaviour. Currently, 0 is the same as not specifying the -N option at all (so this makes limited sense) and 1 actually activates the code.
Is syslog and rsyslog same? ›
Can you see the difference? The configuration file of syslog-ng is clean, well-structured. Rsyslog's configuration format is an extension to the original syslog configuration, which is difficult to read, comprehend, or maintain. In the above rsyslog example, the destination immediately follows the filter rule.
What is the syslog.conf file? ›
Description. The file /etc/syslog. conf contains information used by the system log daemon, syslogd(8), to forward a system message to appropriate log files and/or users.
How do I configure syslog? ›
The syslog daemon (syslogd) processing is controlled by a configuration file called /etc/syslog. conf, in which you define logging rules and output destinations for error messages, authorization violation messages, and trace data. Logging rules are defined using a facility name and a priority code.
How to check syslog server in Linux? ›
To do that, you could quickly issue the command less /var/log/syslog. This command will open the syslog log file to the top. You can then use the arrow keys to scroll down one line at a time, the spacebar to scroll down one page at a time, or the mouse wheel to easily scroll through the file.
Where is the Kubeconfig file located? ›
kubeconfig contains a list of contexts to which kubectl refers when running commands. By default, the file is saved at $HOME/. kube/config .
Where is the syslog ng configuration file? ›
Native packages of a platform (like the ones downloaded from Linux repositories) typically place the configuration file under the /etc/syslog-ng/ directory.
Where is the Keepalived configuration file? ›
The configuration file for Keepalived is located at /etc/keepalived/keepalived.
Where is my git config file located? ›
Git comes with a tool called git config that lets you get and set configuration variables that control all aspects of how Git looks and operates. These variables can be stored in three different places: [path]/etc/gitconfig file: Contains values applied to every user on the system and all their repositories.
