Logrotate-3.15.0

#### Beyond Linux® From Scratch - Version 2019-02-27

### Chapter 12. System Utilities

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# Logrotate-3.15.0

## Introduction to Logrotate

The logrotate package allows automatic rotation, compression, removal, and mailing of log files.

This package is known to build and work properly using an LFS-8.4 platform.

### Package Information

- Download (HTTP): https://github.com/logrotate/logrotate/releases/download/3.15.0/logrotate-3.15.0.tar.xz

- Download MD5 sum: 320046f0b9fc38337e8827d4c5a866a0

- Download size: 156 KB

- Estimated disk space required: 4.9 MB

- Estimated build time: 0.1 SBU (with tests)

### Logrotate Dependencies

#### Required

popt-1.16

#### Recommended

Fcron-3.2.1 (runtime)

#### Optional

An MTA (runtime)

User Notes: http://wiki.linuxfromscratch.org/blfs/wiki/logrotate

## Installation of Logrotate

Install logrotate by running the following command:

    ./configure --prefix=/usr        &&
    make

To test the results, issue: make test. One test fails because the very old compress is not present and two tests fail if an MTA is not installed.

Now, as the `root` user:

    make install

## Configuring Logrotate

Logrotate needs a configuration file, which must be passed as an argument to the command when executed. Create the file as the `root` user:

    cat > /etc/logrotate.conf << EOF
    # Begin of /etc/logrotate.conf

    # Rotate log files weekly
    weekly

    # Don't mail logs to anybody
    nomail

    # If the log file is empty, it will not be rotated
    notifempty

    # Number of backups that will be kept
    # This will keep the 2 newest backups only
    rotate 2

    # Create new empty files after rotating old ones
    # This will create empty log files, with owner
    # set to root, group set to sys, and permissions 644
    create 0664 root sys

    # Compress the backups with gzip
    compress

    # No packages own lastlog or wtmp -- rotate them here
    /var/log/wtmp {
        monthly
        create 0664 root utmp
        rotate 1
    }

    /var/log/lastlog {
        monthly
        rotate 1
    }

    # Some packages drop log rotation info in this directory
    # so we include any file in it.
    include /etc/logrotate.d

    # End of /etc/logrotate.conf
    EOF

    chmod -v 0644 /etc/logrotate.conf

Now create the `/etc/logrotate.d` directory as the `root` user:

     mkdir -p /etc/logrotate.d

At this point additional log rotation commands can be entered, typically in the `/etc/logrotate.d` directory. For example:

    cat > /etc/logrotate.d/sys.log << EOF
    /var/log/sys.log {
       # If the log file is larger than 100kb, rotate it
       size   100k
       rotate 5
       weekly
       postrotate
          /bin/killall -HUP syslogd
       endscript
    }
    EOF

    chmod -v 0644 /etc/logrotate.d/sys.log

You can designate multiple files in one entry:

    cat > /etc/logrotate.d/example.log << EOF
    file1
    file2
    file3 {
       ...
       postrotate
        ...
       endscript
    }
    EOF

    chmod -v 0644 /etc/logrotate.d/example.log

You can use in the same line the list of files: file1 file2 file3. See the logrotate man page or http://www.techrepublic.com/article/manage-linux-log-files-with-logrotate/ for more examples.

The command logrotate /etc/logrotate.conf can be run manually, however, the command should be run daily. Other useful commands are logrotate -d /etc/logrotate.conf for debugging purposes and logrotate -f /etc/logrotate.conf forcing the logrotate commands to be run immediately. Combining the previous options `-df`, you can debug the effect of the force command. When debugging, the command is only simulated, not really run, thus, eventual non-existing errors appear, when some intermediate files are expected, because they are not actually created.

To set up Fcron-3.2.1 to run logrotate ... at 3AM daily, root's crontab should be edited to add:

    0 3 * * *   /usr/sbin/logrotate /etc/logrotate.conf

## Contents

Installed Programs: logrotate
Installed Library: None
Installed Directories: None

### Short Descriptions

logrotate | performs the log maintenance functions defined in the configuration files.

Last updated on 2019-02-17 20:19:58 -0600

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