[TriLUG] tail across logrotate

Brent Verner brent at rcfile.org
Thu Mar 21 18:43:20 EST 2002


[2002-03-21 16:47] M. Mueller at Signalnetware.com said:
| On Thursday 21 March 2002 03:20 pm, you wrote:
| > Have logrotate kick off the command for you.  It has a section for running
| > external commands on completion of the log rotate.
| >
| > BTW: WTF r u doing?  I have some similar processes that I use for
| > monitoring firewall access, but I start and stop them on the hour,
| > switching log files hourly
| 
| Using syslogd and cron-logrotate to manage endless stream of operational 
| info. on the AxonSG which turns the entire platform into a multiprotocol 
| router: http://www.signalnetware.com/arch.jpg

from syslog.conf(5)

   Named Pipes
       This version of syslogd(8) has support for logging  output
       to  named pipes (fifos).  A fifo or named pipe can be used
       as a destination for log messages  by  prepending  a  pipe
       symbol (``|'') to the name of the file.  This is handy for
       debugging.  Note that the fifo must be  created  with  the
       mkfifo(1) command  before syslogd(8) is started.

Why not just create a pipe, and hook a reader up to the other end?
You wouldn't have to worry about the syslog process or the transient
file that you're trying to tail.

mail.*        |/path/to/mail.fifo
kern.*        |/path/to/kern.fifo


food for thought...  
  brent

-- 
"Develop your talent, man, and leave the world something. Records are 
really gifts from people. To think that an artist would love you enough
to share his music with anyone is a beautiful thing."  -- Duane Allman



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