Subject: location of logs

From: [email-masked] (David W. Summers)
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 92 09:54 CST

----- Begin Included Message -----

>From concert.net!linux-standards-request Thu Feb 20 02:02:27 1992
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 92 07:14:37 GMT
From: [email-masked]
Myname: A. V. Le Blanc
To: linux-standards <@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk:[email-masked]>
Subject: location of logs
Content-Length: 1161

I note with concern a reference to various logs going in
/usr/spool.
 
The task of making Linux better requires a balance between
avoiding too much peculiarity (making Linux more 'standard')
and pursuing simplicity (helping idiots set up and use Linux).
 
One of the most irritating tasks I have as a sysadmin is cleaning
out thousands of log files.  On my systems there are logs in
/etc, in /usr/adm, in /usr/etc, in /usr/spool, and in literally
thousands of user directories (x/motif session error logs).
Preventing this rubbish from piling up is a major nuisance.
One advantage of having /var is to get all the stuff in one place.
Another is to put all the growing files on one partition, where it
can cause less havoc in the file system when it gets full.  This
makes administering the system simpler.  If conformity is threatened,
we can always make /etc/wtmp, /usr/adm/syslog, /usr/spool/lp/log,
etc, be symbolic links to files in /var.  That way security can be
checked, and then all logs deleted, e.g., by
 
     find /var -type f -exec rm {} \;
 
which could be put in a script for the non-Unix literate.
 
     A. V. Le Blanc
     [email-masked]

----- End Included Message -----

YES YES YES!

Notice /var/log directory in SunOS.  /var is (usually) a separate partition
in SunOS and the Sys. Admin. chooses how big he will make it.

This makes it VERY NICE from a Sys. Admin. point of view.  If I DON'T have
room for a /var partition, then I usually make it a sym-link to somewhere
that has extra space left over for misc. stuff.

  - David Summers

---

From: Alan B Clegg <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 92 11:07:55 EST

> From: [email-masked]

[ Discussion of /var ]

>      find /var -type f -exec rm {} \;

You are kidding, right?  /var/spool/mail ... *POOF*  /var/spool/news *POOF*

*NOT A GOOD IDEA*

> which could be put in a script for the non-Unix literate.

Linux is not for 'the non-Unix literate'.

> in SunOS and the Sys. Admin. chooses how big he will make it.

The sysadm chooses how large *EVERY* partition is.  What matter is it that
it is hanging off of /usr or /var?

> that has extra space left over for misc. stuff.

So what is the difference here of mounting something on top of /usr/adm, or
making *IT* a symlink?  

-abc
-- 
[email-masked]				Alan Clegg - Network Programmer
KD4JML (just my luck!)			MCNC -- Center for Communications

---

From: "Mr. Big Stuff" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 21 Feb 92 0:33:49 CST

David W. Summers must have playing with Crayolas when s/he/it/them wrote:
>[email-masked] writes:
...

>in SunOS and the Sys. Admin. chooses how big he will make it.

In spite of my standard reply header, I agree with all of the above.
Putting all the logs in one place would make a *big* difference in the ease
of maintaining linux.  And making sure that (say) a 30+Meg logfile doesn't
bring your system to it's knees is a good thing.  Not that I've seen that :-)

Since there is already a 'standard' place to put log files (/var/log) I
won't even think of suggesting /log :-)

The proposed standard file system should be changed to reflect a log
directory, IMHO.

-- 
Brian
[email-masked]