SYSLOGD(8) BSD System Manager's Manual SYSLOGD(8)NAMEsyslogd — log systems messages
SYNOPSISsyslogd [-V] [-a socket] [-d] [-f config_file] [-h] [-l host_list]
[-m mark_interval] [-n] [-p log_socket] [-r] [-s domain_list]
[--no-klog] [--no-unixaf] [--no-forward]
DESCRIPTION
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:
-V Print version number and exit.
--help Display help information and exit.
-d Enter debug mode. syslogd does not put itself in the background,
does not fork and shows debug information.
-a Specify additional sockets from that syslogd has to listen to.
This is needed if you are going to let some daemon run within a
chroot()'ed environment. You can specify up to 19 additional
sockets.
-f, --rcfile=FILE
Specify the pathname of an alternate configuration file; the
default is system specific and displayed in the help output.
-h, --hop
Enable forwarding remote messages. By default syslogd will not
forward messages it receives from remote hosts.
-l A colon-seperated lists of hosts which should be considered
local; they are logged by their hostnames instead by their FQDN.
-m, --mark=INTERVAL/fP
Select the number of minutes between ``mark'' messages; the
default is 20 minutes. Setting it to 0 disables timestamps.
-n, --no-detach
Suppress backgrounding and detachment of the daemon from its con‐
trolling terminal.
-p, --socket=PATH
Specify the pathname of an alternate log socket. The default is
systemspecific and displayed in the help output.
-r, --inet
Enable to receive remote messages using an internet domain
socket. The default is to not receive any messages from the net‐
work. Older version always accepted remote messages.
-s A colon-seperated list of domainnames which should be stripped
from the FQDNs of hosts when logging.
--no-klog
Do not listen to the kernel log device. This is only supported on
systems which define a kernel log device, on all others this is
already the default, and the option will be silently ignored.
--no-unixaf
Do not listen to any unix domain socket. This option overrides -p
and -a.
--no-forward
Do not forward any messages. This overrides -h.
Syslogd reads its configuration file when it starts up and whenever it
receives a hangup signal. For information on the format of the configu‐
ration file, see syslog.conf(5).
Syslogd reads messages from the UNIX domain socket /dev/log, from an
Internet domain socket specified in /etc/services, and from the special
device /dev/klog (to read kernel 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
/etc/syslog.conf The configuration file.
/var/run/syslog.pid The process id of current syslogd.
/dev/log Name of the UNIX domain datagram log socket.
/dev/klog The kernel log device.
SEE ALSOlogger(1), syslog(3), services(5), syslog.conf(5)HISTORY
The syslogd command appeared in 4.3BSD.
4.2 Berkeley Distribution June 6, 1993 4.2 Berkeley Distribution
