source: general/sysutils/logrotate.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
   "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
  <!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../../general.ent">
  %general-entities;

  <!ENTITY logrotate-download-http "https://github.com/logrotate/logrotate/releases/download/&logrotate-version;/logrotate-&logrotate-version;.tar.xz">
  <!ENTITY logrotate-download-ftp  " ">
  <!ENTITY logrotate-md5sum        "2386501a53ff086f44eeada2b27d50b8">
  <!ENTITY logrotate-size          "172 KB">
  <!ENTITY logrotate-buildsize     "2.6 MB (add 38 MB for tests)">
  <!ENTITY logrotate-time          "less than 0.1 SBU (add 0.1 SBU for tests)">
]>

<sect1 id="logrotate" xreflabel="logrotate-&logrotate-version;">
  <?dbhtml filename="logrotate.html"?>


  <title>Logrotate-&logrotate-version;</title>

  <indexterm zone="logrotate">
    <primary sortas="a-logrotate">logrotate</primary>
  </indexterm>

  <sect2 role="package">
    <title>Introduction to Logrotate</title>

    <para>
      The <application>logrotate</application> package allows automatic
      rotation, compression, removal, and mailing of log files.
    </para>

    &lfs121_checked;

    <bridgehead renderas="sect3">Package Information</bridgehead>
    <itemizedlist spacing="compact">
      <listitem>
        <para>
          Download (HTTP): <ulink url="&logrotate-download-http;"/>
        </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          Download (FTP): <ulink url="&logrotate-download-ftp;"/>
        </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          Download MD5 sum: &logrotate-md5sum;
        </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          Download size: &logrotate-size;
        </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          Estimated disk space required: &logrotate-buildsize;
        </para>
      </listitem>
      <listitem>
        <para>
          Estimated build time: &logrotate-time;
        </para>
      </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>

    <bridgehead renderas="sect3">Logrotate Dependencies</bridgehead>

    <bridgehead renderas="sect4">Required</bridgehead>
    <para role="required">
      <xref linkend="popt"/>
    </para>

    <bridgehead renderas="sect4" revision="sysv">Recommended</bridgehead>
    <para role="recommended" revision="sysv">
      <xref role="runtime" linkend="fcron"/> (runtime)
    </para>

    <bridgehead renderas="sect4">Optional</bridgehead>
    <para role="optional">
      An <xref role="runtime" linkend="server-mail"/> (runtime)
    </para>

  </sect2>

  <sect2 role="installation">
    <title>Installation of Logrotate</title>

    <para>
      Install <application>logrotate</application> by running the following
      command:
    </para>

<screen><userinput>./configure --prefix=/usr &amp;&amp;
make</userinput></screen>

    <para>
      To test the results, issue: <command>make test</command>. 
      Two tests fail if an MTA is not installed.
    </para>

    <para>
      Now, as the <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> user:
    </para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>make install</userinput></screen>

  </sect2>

  <sect2 role="configuration">
    <title>Configuring Logrotate</title>

    <para>
      <application>Logrotate</application> needs a configuration file,
      which must be passed as an argument to the command when executed.  Create
      the file as the <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> user:
    </para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>cat &gt; /etc/logrotate.conf &lt;&lt; EOF
<literal># Begin /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 664
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 /etc/logrotate.conf</literal>
EOF

chmod -v 0644 /etc/logrotate.conf</userinput></screen>

    <para>
      Now create the <filename class='directory'>/etc/logrotate.d</filename>
      directory as the  <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> user:
    </para>

<screen role="root"><userinput>mkdir -p /etc/logrotate.d</userinput></screen>

    <para>
      At this point additional log rotation commands can be entered, typically
      in the <filename class='directory'>/etc/logrotate.d</filename> directory.
      For example:
    </para>

<screen role="nodump"><userinput>cat &gt; /etc/logrotate.d/sys.log &lt;&lt; EOF
<literal>/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
}</literal>
EOF

chmod -v 0644 /etc/logrotate.d/sys.log</userinput></screen>

    <para>
      You can designate multiple files in one entry:
    </para>

<screen role="nodump"><userinput>cat &gt; /etc/logrotate.d/example.log &lt;&lt; EOF
<literal>file1
file2
file3 {
   ...
   postrotate
    ...
   endscript
}</literal>
EOF

chmod -v 0644 /etc/logrotate.d/example.log</userinput></screen>

    <para>
      You can use in the same line the list of files: file1 file2 file3.
      See the logrotate man page or <ulink
      url='https://www.techrepublic.com/article/manage-linux-log-files-with-logrotate/'/>
      for more examples.
    </para>

    <para>
      The command <command>logrotate /etc/logrotate.conf</command> can be
      run manually, however, the command should be run daily.
      Other useful commands are <command>logrotate -d
      /etc/logrotate.conf</command> for debugging purposes and
      <command>logrotate -f /etc/logrotate.conf</command> forcing the
      logrotate commands to be run immediately. Combining the previous options
      <option>-df</option>, you can debug the effect of the force command.
      When debugging, the commands are only simulated and are not actually run.
      As a result, errors about files not existing will eventually appear because
      the files are not actually created.
    </para>

    <para>
      To run the <command>logrotate</command> command daily,
      <phrase revision="sysv">if you've installed
      <xref linkend="fcron"/> and completed the section on periodic jobs,
      execute</phrase><phrase revision="systemd">execute</phrase> the following
      commands, as the  <systemitem class="username">root</systemitem> user,
      to create a <phrase revision="sysv">daily cron job:</phrase>
      <phrase revision="systemd">systemd timer to run daily at 3:00 A.M.
     (local time):</phrase>
    </para>

<screen role="root" revision="sysv"><userinput>cat &gt; /etc/cron.daily/logrotate.sh &lt;&lt; "EOF" &amp;&amp;
<literal>#!/bin/bash
/usr/sbin/logrotate /etc/logrotate.conf</literal>
EOF
chmod 754 /etc/cron.daily/logrotate.sh</userinput></screen>

<screen role="root" revision="systemd"><userinput>cat &gt; /usr/lib/systemd/system/logrotate.service &lt;&lt; "EOF" &amp;&amp;
<literal>[Unit]
Description=Runs the logrotate command
Documentation=man:logrotate(8)
DefaultDependencies=no
After=local-fs.target
Before=shutdown.target

[Service]
Type=oneshot
RemainAfterExit=yes
ExecStart=/usr/sbin/logrotate /etc/logrotate.conf</literal>
EOF
cat &gt; /usr/lib/systemd/system/logrotate.timer &lt;&lt; "EOF" &amp;&amp;
<literal>[Unit]
Description=Runs the logrotate command daily at 3:00 AM

[Timer]
OnCalendar=*-*-* 3:00:00
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target</literal>
EOF
systemctl enable logrotate.timer</userinput></screen>

  </sect2>

  <sect2 role="content">
    <title>Contents</title>

    <segmentedlist>
      <segtitle>Installed Programs</segtitle>
      <segtitle>Installed Library</segtitle>
      <segtitle>Installed Directories</segtitle>

      <seglistitem>
        <seg> logrotate </seg>
        <seg> None </seg>
        <seg> None </seg>
      </seglistitem>
    </segmentedlist>

    <variablelist>
      <bridgehead renderas="sect3">Short Descriptions</bridgehead>
      <?dbfo list-presentation="list"?>
      <?dbhtml list-presentation="table"?>

      <varlistentry id="logrotate-prog">
        <term><command>logrotate</command></term>
        <listitem>
          <para>
            performs the log maintenance functions defined in the
            configuration files
          </para>
          <indexterm zone="logrotate logrotate-prog">
            <primary sortas="b-logrotate-prog">logrotate</primary>
          </indexterm>
        </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

    </variablelist>

  </sect2>

</sect1>