xref: /openbsd-src/usr.sbin/syslogd/syslogd.8 (revision b2ea75c1b17e1a9a339660e7ed45cd24946b230e)
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34.\"     from: @(#)syslogd.8	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/6/93
35.\"	$NetBSD: syslogd.8,v 1.3 1996/01/02 17:41:48 perry Exp $
36.\"
37.Dd June 6, 1993
38.Dt SYSLOGD 8
39.Os
40.Sh NAME
41.Nm syslogd
42.Nd log systems messages
43.Sh SYNOPSIS
44.Nm syslogd
45.Op Fl du
46.Op Fl f Ar config_file
47.Op Fl m Ar mark_interval
48.Op Fl a Ar path
49.Op Fl p Ar log_socket
50.Sh DESCRIPTION
51.Nm
52reads and logs messages to the system console, log files, other
53machines and/or users as specified by its configuration file.
54.Pp
55The options are as follows:
56.Bl -tag -width Ds
57.It Fl d
58Enable debugging to the standard output,
59and do not disassociate from the controlling terminal.
60.It Fl f Ar config_file
61Specify the pathname of an alternate configuration file;
62the default is
63.Pa /etc/syslog.conf .
64.It Fl m Ar mark_interval
65Select the number of minutes between
66.Dq mark
67messages; the default is 20 minutes.
68.It Fl u
69Select the historical
70.Dq insecure
71mode, in which syslogd will
72accept input from the UDP port.
73Some software wants this, but you can be subjected to a variety of
74attacks over the network, including attackers remotely filling logs.
75.It Fl p Ar log_socket
76Specify the pathname of an alternate log socket to be used instead;
77the default is
78.Pa /dev/log .
79.It Fl a Pa path
80Specify a location where
81.Nm
82should place an additional log socket.
83Up to about 20 additional logging sockets can be specified.
84The primary use for this is to place additional log sockets in
85.Pa /dev/log
86of various chroot filespaces.
87.El
88.Pp
89.Nm
90reads its configuration file when it starts up and whenever it
91receives a hangup signal.
92For information on the format of the configuration file,
93see
94.Xr syslog.conf 5 .
95.Pp
96.Nm
97opens an Internet domain socket as specified
98in
99.Pa /etc/services .
100Normally
101.Nm
102will only use this socket to send messages outwards, but in
103.Dq insecure
104mode it will also read messages from this socket.
105.Nm
106also opens and reads messages from the
107.Tn UNIX
108domain socket
109.Pa /dev/log ,
110and from the special device
111.Pa /dev/klog
112(to read kernel messages).
113.Pp
114.Nm
115opens the above described socket whether or not it is
116running in secure mode.
117If
118.Nm
119is running in secure mode, all incoming data on this socket is discarded.
120The socket is required for sending forwarded messages.
121.Pp
122.Nm
123creates the file
124.Pa /var/run/syslog.pid ,
125and stores its process ID there.
126This can be used to kill or reconfigure
127.Nm syslogd .
128.Pp
129The message sent to
130.Nm
131should consist of a single line.
132The message can contain a priority code, which should be a preceding
133decimal number in angle braces, for example,
134.Dq Aq 5 .
135This priority code should map into the priorities defined in the
136include file
137.Aq Pa sys/syslog.h .
138.Sh FILES
139.Bl -tag -width /var/run/syslog.pid -compact
140.It Pa /etc/syslog.conf
141configuration file
142.It Pa /var/run/syslog.pid
143process ID of current
144.Nm syslogd
145.It Pa /dev/log
146name of the
147.Tn UNIX
148domain datagram log socket
149.It Pa /dev/klog
150kernel log device
151.El
152.Sh SEE ALSO
153.Xr logger 1 ,
154.Xr syslog 3 ,
155.Xr services 5 ,
156.Xr syslog.conf 5
157.Sh HISTORY
158The
159.Nm
160command appeared in
161.Bx 4.3 .
162
163