SYSLOGD(8)                   System Administration                  SYSLOGD(8)

NAME

       syslogd - log system messages

DESCRIPTION

       syslogd  is  responsible  for receiving system log messages and routing
       them to the apropriate file or terminal based on the type of message.

       Messages are passed to syslogd using syslog(2).  Each message has a fa���
       cility  and a priority.  The facility identifies which part of the sys‐
       tem issued the message. The priority indicates the severity of the mes‐
       sage.  The  codes  for  both  can be found in the header file <sys/sys‐
       log.h>.

       If syslogd receives a message with priority LOG_EMERG, meaning the sys‐
       tem  is  unusable,  it will flag a panic.  init(8) will then take addi‐
       tional action, such as rebooting.

       syslogd is automatically started by init(8) and is restarted if  it  is
       killed.   If  syslogd  is  killed  and  restarted, the port id will not
       change.

       Killing syslogd has the effect that  the  configuration  file  will  be
       reread.

CONFIGURATION

       At  startup,  syslogd  reads  the file /etc/syslog.conf.  The format of
       each line in this file is:

            facility.priority       destination,...

       where either or both of facility and priority can  be  *,  meaning  any
       value.   destination  is  either  the full pathname of a file where the
       message should be saved, or a user name to whom messages should be  re‐
       ported.

       The  default  configuration  is equivalent to the following syslog.conf
       file:

               *.*   /var/adm/syslog,root

BUGS

       syslog(2) must wait for the message it sends to be received by  syslogd
       before  returning.  Otherwise,  the  calling process might exit and the
       memory which contained the message would be disposed of if syslogd  had
       not yet transfered the memory's ownership to itself.

       If a user is logged on multiple times, he or she will only receive sys‐
       log messages in the first location (in the order of /etc/ttys).

FILES

       /etc/syslog.conf

SEE ALSO

       syslog(2), init(8)

AUTHOR

       Phillip Vandry, <vandry@cam.org>



GNO                             27 October 1993                     SYSLOGD(8)