Ubuntu Manpage: console-log.conf - Main configuration file for console-log

NAME

       console-log.conf - Main configuration file for console-log

DESCRIPTION

console-log keeps logfile pagers open on virtual consoles. /etc/console-log.conf is the configuration
file controlling which log file is opened on which tty.

Empty lines and lines starting with "#" are ignored.

The rest of the file consists of stanzas consisting of lines formed as a single keyword and multiple
values. Each stanza describes one pager being started. Stanzas are separated with blank lines. Other
keywords preceded by $ are interpolated if the other keyword is set in the same stanza _before_ the
current line.

tty is the number of the tty the log pager should be started on. Choose a tty that has a virtual console.
This is a mandatory setting.

chvt
If chvt is yes, the system's console will be switched to the tty of this stanza on startup. Default
is no.

file
is a list of absolute paths to log files to display. The first file that is either a plain file or a
symlink is displayed. The file name must not contain any spaces. This is a mandatory setting.

user, group
If user and/or group is/are given, uid/gid will be changed to the given values before invoking the
log pager. User needs to be in group in /etc/group. If no user is given, the pager will be run as the
default user/group set at build time.

maxfilesize
If the file to be paged exceeds the configured size, no pager is started to avoid memory overflow.
Value given in bytes. Default is 7000000. Additionally, ulimit -v is set to twice this value.

locscript
is the absolute path to a bash shell script that will be sourced before the pager is being started.
The script will receive the file path as a parameter and can set environment variables that can
influence the pager.

pager
is the actual program that will be invoked to display the file. Currently less is the only pager
supported and is therefore also the default. It gets invoked with secure settings and follow mode
activated. If you want to use a different pager, you need to manually adapt
/usr/share/console-log/logpager. Please submit patches that extend logpager's support for other
pagers via the BTS.

EXAMPLE

       The default config file

        tty 9
        chvt yes
        file /var/log/syslog
        group adm

        tty 8
        file /var/log/exim4/mainlog /var/log/exim/mainlog /var/log/mail.log
        group adm

       will  start one log pager for the first file found from /var/log/exim4/mainlog, /var/log/exim/mainlog and
       /var/log/mail.log, and one log pager for /var/log/syslog, and will chvt to tty9.

       If a file cannot be read by the user specified in the config file, the init script will complain. You can
       either change the log file permissions or put the user account in the appropriate group.  For example, if
       /var/log/exim/mainlog is only readable by group mail, you can either change the log  file  group  to  adm
       (make  sure  to  adapt  the log file creation/rotation process as well), run the pager as a user that can
       access the log file, or else put the user account into group mail.  Making  the  file  readable  for  the
       default account is the preferred way to solve this issue since it introduces the least security risk.

CONFIGURING THE PAGER

       All configuration options are exported and therefore handed down to the logpager script. You can use this
       to  configure  your  pager.  For  example,  the  logpager  script  set  LESSSECURE  to  the  value of the
       less_lessecure configuration option and LESS to the value off the less_opts configuration option.

       This mechanism can be used in any pager extension called from the logpager script.

CONFIGURING THE LESS PAGER

       For configuring the less pager, the following options are implemented:

       less_lesssecure
           controls the value of the LESSSECURE environment variable for the less process. Default is 1

       less_opts
           controls the value of the LESS environment variable for the less process. Default  is  "--LONG-PROMPT
           --chop-long-lines  --jump-target=10  --max-forw-scroll=100  --window=-4".  If  you want your pager to
           automatically re-read the file  after  possible  log  rotation  (#111272),  you  might  want  to  add
           --follow-name to this default. --follow-name might get added to the default in later version.

       less_lesskey
           controls   the  value  of  the  LESSKEY  environment  variable  for  the  less  process.  Default  is
           /usr/lib/console-log/lesskey, which does not exist in the package currently, and LESSKEY is only  set
           if less_lesskey points to an existing file.

       less_term
           controls the value of the TERM environment variable for the less process. Default is linux.

SUPPORTING YOUR FAVORITE PAGER

       If  you  fancy a different pager, please by all means extend the logpager script to support your pager by
       adding an appropriate part to the case "$PAGER" part of  the  script.  If  you  want  your  pager  to  be
       configurable  via console_log.conf, the convention is to prefix your pager's configuration variables with
       the name of your pager, e.g.  mypager_mycooloption.

       Make sure to also make the init script unset each variable that gets used in your logpager  patch  inside
       the  do_from_config function, or a variable set in a previous console-log.conf stanza will also be set in
       all following ones until you set a different value.

       Please consider submitting your patch for inclusion in the package via the Debian BTS.

FILES

       /etc/console-log.conf

       /usr/share/console-log/logpager

BUGS

       Many. Be prepared to debug.

AUTHOR

       This manpage was written by Marc Haber for console-log in Debian/GNU Operating System.

THANKS

       Thanks to Ivan Frederiks for pointing me towards less --follow-name.