Boot logs Introduction 11.. PPuurrppoossee When _L_i_n_u_x boots, it displays a handful of information. That information may be useful to diagnose some problems. _L_i_n_u_x generally prints information on the hardware it probes. Fortunately, all this info is stored in a buffer that is retrieved by askrunlevel and saved in the file /var/adm/boot.log. 22.. CChheecckkiinngg tthhee llooggss _a_s_k_r_u_n_l_e_v_e_l offers you an option right in its first menu. You are allowed to pick a log (there is one per boot) and browse it. 33.. TTyyppeess ooff uusseeffuull iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn aavvaaiillaabbllee Here is a list of the information you may want to check: +o Configuration of the Ethernet adaptor(s) +o Hard drive configurations +o Hard drive partitions +o SCSI devices found +o Type of processor +o Type of serial ports 44.. MMoodduullaarr kkeerrnneell Beware that with the advent of modular kernel and on-demand loading of device drivers, the information in the log is not complete. The /proc file-system is a useful complement to grab more information about the hardware of your computer. The following files are of special interest. +o /proc/cpuinfo +o /proc/interrupts +o /proc/ioports