Lock down your logfiles with logrotate
Setting the Records Straight
© Lead Image © macor, 123RF.com
The simple act of logging can create management and storage nightmares. Logrotate brings creative solutions to your logging needs.
When you are new to running servers and rightly worried about keeping downtime to a minimum, you inevitably find yourself facing a few problems – some predictable and others not so much. A particular aspect of systems that repeatedly causes consternation is logging and its concomitant storage.
To my mind, logging is one of the truly operational aspects of being a sys admin. Even with the best automation in the world, to get system logging right, you need to invest a little forethought along with very occasional housekeeping. After attempting to diagnose a few system problems, you soon come to realize that logs are absolutely essential. I'll reiterate that last statement by saying that they are not just important, they are truly key to keeping your servers functioning correctly.
Logfiles come in all different shapes and sizes and hold all kinds of information, both useful and relatively useless. Some logs are inconsequential if lost, whereas others are so critical to the operation of a server that their presence can mean the difference between a full server rebuild (sometimes adding several days of additional work to your busy week) or a five-minute health check.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• How the Fediverse Found Parts for Its Platforms
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
openKylin 3.0 Released with Expanded AI Integration
The latest release features a pre-installed AI agent to help perform tasks.
-
DigitalOcean Ends Open Source Credits Program
In a change that has surprised many open source developers, DigitalOcean has decided to sunset its Open Source Credits Program.
-
Office 365 Available for Testing on Linux via Bottles
Linux users can now test the official Office 365, thanks to Mirko Brombin's work on Bottles.
-
Dutch Government Turns to Open Source for Digital Sovereignty
Following in the footsteps of other European countries, the Netherlands is looking to increase its sovereign digital infrastructure with open source software.
-
Linux May Soon Work on Snapdragon X2-Based PCs
If you're thinking about buying a Snapdragon X2-based desktop or laptop, Linux may soon be an option.
-
KDE for People Initiative Calls for AI Ban in Plasma
A new community of KDE wants the project to adopt a strict no-AI policy for KDE Plasma.
-
KDE Sets Ambitious Goals for 2026 and Beyond
KDE Connect reveals the goals for the Linux desktop darling, with one of those goals long overdue.
-
It’s Time to Test Fedora 45 Beta
Fedora 45 beta has been released with updated Gnome, KDE Plasma, and kernel.
-
Ubuntu Stonking Stingray Gets Even Rustier
Ubuntu 26.10 has completed its migration to the Rust-based coreutils.
-
AI Fixes Linux Bottlenecks Using “Hideous” Code
A Linux developer used AI to fix bottlenecks that caused problems when building the kernel. The resulting AI-generated code needed a lot of work.