Report forwarded to debian-bugs-dist@lists.debian.org, Martin Schulze <joey@debian.org>:
Bug#48326; Package sysklogd.   debian-bugs-dist@lists.debian.orgMartin Schulze  Subject: Bug#48326: syslogd-listfiles prevents automated post-processing of logs (again) Reply-To: Craig Sanders , 48326@bugs.debian.org Resent-From: Craig Sanders Resent-To: debian-bugs-dist@lists.debian.org Resent-CC: Martin Schulze Resent-Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 00:48:01 GMT Resent-Message-ID: Resent-Sender: owner@bugs.debian.org X-Debian-PR-Message: report 48326 X-Debian-PR-Package: sysklogd X-Debian-PR-Keywords: X-Loop: owner@bugs.debian.org Received: via spool by bugs@bugs.debian.org id=B.94089813327664 (code B ref -1); Tue, 26 Oct 1999 00:48:01 GMT Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 10:34:55 +1000 From: Craig Sanders To: submit@bugs.debian.org Cc: logrotate@packages.debian.org Message-ID: <19991026103455.F30014@taz.net.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii User-Agent: Mutt/1.0pre3i Package: sysklogd Version: 1.3-33 several problems and suggestions in one bug report: 1. --ignore-size option should be default behaviour current behaviour of syslogd-listfiles makes it difficult to automate post-processing of rotated logfiles because it is not possible to accurately predict exactly when a given logfile will be rotated. this breaks several local cron scripts which depend on the old behaviour of the sysklogd package where logfiles were rotated at specific times (i.e. either daily or weekly or monthly) and not seemingly at random. 2. the --ignore-size option is not documented in the manpage. it's existence is only evident by examine the /usr/sbin/syslogd-listfiles perl script. 3. 2MB is arbitrarily small size to base rotation on. size-based rotation should not only be optional, it should be configurable. i.e. the '--ignore-size' option should be replaced with a '--max-size nnn' option where 'nnn' is size in MB. 4. if, for some reason, you do not wish to change the default behaviour of syslogd-listfiles to something sensible then syslogd-listfiles needs a config file so that a system admin can safely upgrade the sysklogd package without having to remember to hack /usr/sbin/syslogd-listfiles every time to remove the annoying 2MB size check. e.g. /etc/syslogd-listfiles.conf could contain a line like: --max-size 2 for current broken behaviour, or: --max-size 0 to disable size-based rotation entirely. 5. as a general comment, it seems that planning and co-ordination is required between the sysklogd and logrotate packages. logrotate seems to be usurping the log-rotation functionality of sysklogd (and other packages). without proper co-ordination, both packages will rotate the same logfiles leading to annoying problems (as logrotate has caused with the wtmp file). it may be a good thing for sysklogd to leave all log rotation to the logrotate package, which at least allows the end-user to set rotation schedules according to their own needs. craig -- craig sanders   Acknowledgement sent to Craig Sanders <cas@taz.net.au>:
New Bug report received and forwarded. Copy sent to Martin Schulze <joey@debian.org>.   -t  From: owner@bugs.debian.org (Debian Bug Tracking System) To: Craig Sanders Subject: Bug#48326: Acknowledgement (syslogd-listfiles prevents automated post-processing of logs (again)) Message-ID: In-Reply-To: <19991026103455.F30014@taz.net.au> References: <19991026103455.F30014@taz.net.au> X-Debian-PR-Message: ack 48326 Thank you for the problem report you have sent regarding Debian. This is an automatically generated reply, to let you know your message has been received. It is being forwarded to the developers mailing list for their attention; they will reply in due course. Your message has been sent to the package maintainer(s): Martin Schulze If you wish to submit further information on your problem, please send it to 48326@bugs.debian.org (and *not* to bugs@bugs.debian.org). Please do not reply to the address at the top of this message, unless you wish to report a problem with the Bug-tracking system. Darren Benham (administrator, Debian Bugs database)   Received: (at submit) by bugs.debian.org; 26 Oct 1999 00:35:33 +0000 Received: (qmail 27648 invoked from network); 26 Oct 1999 00:35:30 -0000 Received: from taz.net.au (postfix@203.16.167.1) by master.debian.org with SMTP; 26 Oct 1999 00:35:30 -0000 Received: from siva.taz.net.au (siva.taz.net.au [203.16.167.2]) by taz.net.au (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1449F3010; Tue, 26 Oct 1999 10:35:21 +1000 (EST) Received: by siva.taz.net.au (Postfix, from userid 1000) id 9D36D11CA4; Tue, 26 Oct 1999 10:34:55 +1000 (EST) Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 10:34:55 +1000 From: Craig Sanders To: submit@bugs.debian.org Cc: logrotate@packages.debian.org Subject: syslogd-listfiles prevents automated post-processing of logs (again) Message-ID: <19991026103455.F30014@taz.net.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii User-Agent: Mutt/1.0pre3i Package: sysklogd Version: 1.3-33 several problems and suggestions in one bug report: 1. --ignore-size option should be default behaviour current behaviour of syslogd-listfiles makes it difficult to automate post-processing of rotated logfiles because it is not possible to accurately predict exactly when a given logfile will be rotated. this breaks several local cron scripts which depend on the old behaviour of the sysklogd package where logfiles were rotated at specific times (i.e. either daily or weekly or monthly) and not seemingly at random. 2. the --ignore-size option is not documented in the manpage. it's existence is only evident by examine the /usr/sbin/syslogd-listfiles perl script. 3. 2MB is arbitrarily small size to base rotation on. size-based rotation should not only be optional, it should be configurable. i.e. the '--ignore-size' option should be replaced with a '--max-size nnn' option where 'nnn' is size in MB. 4. if, for some reason, you do not wish to change the default behaviour of syslogd-listfiles to something sensible then syslogd-listfiles needs a config file so that a system admin can safely upgrade the sysklogd package without having to remember to hack /usr/sbin/syslogd-listfiles every time to remove the annoying 2MB size check. e.g. /etc/syslogd-listfiles.conf could contain a line like: --max-size 2 for current broken behaviour, or: --max-size 0 to disable size-based rotation entirely. 5. as a general comment, it seems that planning and co-ordination is required between the sysklogd and logrotate packages. logrotate seems to be usurping the log-rotation functionality of sysklogd (and other packages). without proper co-ordination, both packages will rotate the same logfiles leading to annoying problems (as logrotate has caused with the wtmp file). it may be a good thing for sysklogd to leave all log rotation to the logrotate package, which at least allows the end-user to set rotation schedules according to their own needs. craig -- craig sanders   Severity set to `wishlist'. Request was from Martin Schulze <joey@infodrom.org> to control@bugs.debian.org.   Received: (at control) by bugs.debian.org; 22 Nov 2001 15:12:12 +0000 From joey@infodrom.org Thu Nov 22 09:12:12 2001 Return-path: Received: from luonnotar.infodrom.org [195.124.48.78] (postfix) by master.debian.org with esmtp (Exim 3.12 1 (Debian)) id 166vWO-0006iq-00; Thu, 22 Nov 2001 09:12:12 -0600 Received: by luonnotar.infodrom.org (Postfix, from userid 10) id 5AEB9366987; Thu, 22 Nov 2001 16:15:59 +0100 (CET) Received: at Infodrom Oldenburg (/\##/\ Smail-3.2.0.102 1998-Aug-2 #2) from infodrom.org by finlandia.Infodrom.North.DE via smail from stdin id for control@bugs.debian.org; Thu, 22 Nov 2001 15:57:47 +0100 (CET) Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2001 15:57:47 +0100 From: Martin Schulze To: control@bugs.debian.org Subject: foo Message-ID: <20011122155747.C15690@finlandia.infodrom.north.de> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.23i Delivered-To: control@bugs.debian.org tags 38781 +wontfix severity 39198 wishlist severity 44523 wishlist severity 48326 wishlist severity 117255 wishlist severity 54309 wishlist retitle 64284 uucpsend users wrong lock dir with INN2 tags 84380 +patch tags 84385 +patch close 91078 close 91713 close 66860 close 91143 close 105670 close 108293 close 104926 close 91437 thanks -- No question is too silly to ask, but, of course, some are too silly to answer. -- Perl book Please always Cc to me when replying to me on the lists.   Tags added: Request was from Martin Schulze <joey@infodrom.org> to control@bugs.debian.org.   Received: (at control) by bugs.debian.org; 1 Jan 2002 12:42:12 +0000 From joey@infodrom.org Tue Jan 01 06:42:12 2002 Return-path: Received: from luonnotar.infodrom.org [195.124.48.78] (postfix) by master.debian.org with esmtp (Exim 3.12 1 (Debian)) id 16LOF9-0004yY-00; Tue, 01 Jan 2002 06:42:11 -0600 Received: by luonnotar.infodrom.org (Postfix, from userid 10) id 31985366A46; Tue, 1 Jan 2002 13:42:10 +0100 (CET) Received: at Infodrom Oldenburg (/\##/\ Smail-3.2.0.102 1998-Aug-2 #2) from infodrom.org by finlandia.Infodrom.North.DE via smail from stdin id for control@bugs.debian.org; Tue, 1 Jan 2002 13:39:27 +0100 (CET) Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2002 13:39:27 +0100 From: Martin Schulze To: control@bugs.debian.org Subject: comments and another tag Message-ID: <20020101123927.GX30012@finlandia.infodrom.north.de> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.24i Delivered-To: control@bugs.debian.org tags 48326 +wontfix thanks 1. Won't be changed. I already stated elsewhere (probably another bug report from caz) that he is free to ditch the cron files of syslogd and use his own ones. The configuration cannot fulfil everybody's needs, but should meet the needs of the majority of users, especially those who don't care too much about log files. 2. Will be fixed in version 1.4.1-9 to be uploaded later today. 3. This was already changed to 10MB in version 1.4.1-7 given the largelyness of current hard disks and the amount of messages produced by some mta's. 4. Adding more configuration files to configure conffiles doesn't seem too well thought to me, see #1 5. syslogd may start using logrotate in the future, probably not before woody is out. Regards, Joey -- Computers are not intelligent. They only think they are. Please always Cc to me when replying to me on the lists.