NAME

       syslogd — log systems messages

SYNOPSIS

       syslogd   [-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.

       --rcdir=DIR
               Specify  the pathname of an alternate configuration directory; 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 controlling 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 network. 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 configuration 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 one of the special devices /dev/klog or /proc/kmsg depending  on  the  system
       (to  read kernel messages). In a GNU/Linux system it will not parse the System.map and use it to annotate
       the 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, /proc/kmsg
                            The kernel log device.

SEE ALSO

       logger(1), syslog(3), services(5), syslog.conf(5)

HISTORY

       The syslogd command appeared in 4.3BSD.

GNU inetutils                                     June 6, 1993                                        SYSLOGD(8)