Deleting Log files on ubuntu

[Tom Metro]

Vinay Perneti wrote:
> Also I read about this tool called logrotate...

Which should be installed and active on a typical Ubuntu system. It runs 
daily from a script in /etc/cron.daily/ and is controlled by 
/etc/logrotate.conf and the files in /etc/logrotate.d/.

What you have to watch out for is that a bunch of common log files 
aren't rotated by logrotate, most notably the files generated by 
sysklogd. I typically modify systems to disable the sysklogd rotation 
script and replace it with a logrotate config file.


> ...but when i try to use it i get a segfault!
> i did
> %logrotate kern.log

That's because it is probably trying to process kern.log as a logrotate 
configuration file. Normally you run logrotate with no options (as noted 
above this typically happens from a cron launched script). About the 
only time you'd invoke logrotate directly is if you are debugging 
problems and want to pass the debug switch on the command line.

As to why it segfaults instead of doping something more sane, you can 
blame on the fact that logrotate is written in a rigid, compiled 
language, instead of a more appropriate-to-the-task scripting language.

  -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/

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