[Bug 794727] Re: Please symlink /var/log/messages to syslog

[Dimitri Pappas]

Trying to configure my pure-ftpd server which relies on messages, and
the log window was empty. I've re-enabled it the way it should be, in
rsyslogv conf. /var/log/messages is an essential part of any unix
distro. What needs to happen is that the distinction between syslog and
messages needs to become more contrasted they way they should be: low-
level system/kernel messages to syslog, and global application notices
to messages. Or, if the consensus is that they serve the same purpose,
then get rid of one of them completely... no use in having the null-byte
file lurking around anymore

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/794727

Title:
  Please symlink /var/log/messages to syslog

Status in “rsyslog” package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: rsyslog

  After upgrading my laptop from Ubuntu 10.10 to Ubuntu 11.04 I found out that the file /var/log/messages contains nothing and is 0 bytes long. /var/log/messages.1 contains the last messages before the upgrade.
  Fearing that something went wrong I checked, if the disk is full and if the syslog daemon running. All looked fine, so googled and found this thread http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=10674332 and reading the rsyslog changelog (https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/rsyslog/4.6.4-2ubuntu4) I found out, it is I intentionally change. I strongly oppose this change. /var/log/messages is a long established logfile and available on most unix systems. I can't really buy the performance argument. If the system is logging something it is awake anyway,because it still has to write to /var/log/syslog. If the system is idle it does not log. So I don't see much overhead in logging to two files. Moreover in contrast to the catch-all /var/log/syslog files, which containes a lot of useless information (failed authentications, etc..) it is much easier to spot a real problem in the extract, which /var/log/messages provides.

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