NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     syslogd - log systems messages

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     syslogd [-dnu] [-a path] [-f config_file] [-m mark_interval]
             [-p log_socket] [-s reporting_socket]

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     syslogd  reads  and logs messages to the system console, log
files, other
     machines and/or users  as  specified  by  its  configuration
file.

     The options are as follows:

     -a path
             Specify a location where syslogd should place an additional log
             socket.  Up to about 20 additional  logging  sockets
can be specified.
   The  primary  use for this is to place additional log sockets
 in /dev/log of various chroot filespaces.

     -d      Enable debugging to the standard output, and do  not
disassociate
             from the controlling terminal.

     -f config_file
             Specify  the  pathname of an alternate configuration
file; the default
 is /etc/syslog.conf.

     -m mark_interval
             Select the number of minutes between  ``mark''  messages; the default
 is 20 minutes.

     -n       Print source addresses numerically rather than symbolically.
             This saves an address-to-name lookup for each incoming message,
             which can be useful when combined with the -u option
on a loghost
             with no DNS cache.  Messages  from  the  local  host
will still be
             logged with the symbolic local host name.

     -p log_socket
             Specify  the  pathname of an alternate log socket to
be used instead;
 the default is /dev/log.

     -s reporting_socket
             Specify path to an AF_LOCAL socket for  use  in  reporting logs
             stored in memory buffers using syslogc(8).

     -u       Select  the  historical ``insecure'' mode, in which
syslogd will
             accept input from the UDP port.  Some software wants
this, but
             you  can  be  subjected to a variety of attacks over
the network,
             including attackers remotely filling logs.

     syslogd reads its configuration file when it starts  up  and
whenever it
     receives  a hangup signal.  For information on the format of
the configuration
 file, see syslog.conf(5).

     syslogd opens an Internet  domain  socket  as  specified  in
/etc/services.
     Normally  syslogd will only use this socket to send messages
outwards, but
     in ``insecure'' mode it will also read  messages  from  this
socket.
     syslogd  also  opens and reads messages from the UNIX domain
socket
     /dev/log, and from the special  device  /dev/klog  (to  read
kernel messages).


     syslogd  opens  the above described socket whether or not it
is running in
     secure mode.  If syslogd is running in secure mode, all  incoming data on
     this  socket is discarded.  The socket is required for sending forwarded
     messages.

     syslogd creates the file /var/run/syslog.pid, and stores its
process ID
     there.  This can be used to kill or reconfigure syslogd.

     The message sent to syslogd should consist of a single line.
The message
     can contain a priority code, which  should  be  a  preceding
decimal number
     in  angle  braces, for example, ``<5>''.  This priority code
should map into
   the   priorities   defined   in   the   include    file
<sys/syslog.h>.

FILES    [Toc]    [Back]

     /etc/syslog.conf     configuration file
     /var/run/syslog.pid  process ID of current syslogd
     /dev/log              name  of  the UNIX domain datagram log
socket
     /dev/klog            kernel log device

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     logger(1), syslog(3), services(5),  syslog.conf(5),  newsyslog(8),
     syslogc(8)

HISTORY    [Toc]    [Back]

     The syslogd command appeared in 4.3BSD.

OpenBSD      3.6                           June      6,      1993