BOOTLOGD(8) | Linux System Administrator's Manual | BOOTLOGD(8) |
bootlogd - record boot messages
/sbin/bootlogd [-c] [-d] [-r] [-s] [-v] [ -l logfile ] [ -p pidfile ]
Bootlogd runs in the background and copies all strings sent to the /dev/console device to a logfile. If the logfile is not accessible, the messages will be kept in memory until it is.
bootlogd saves log data which includes control characters. The log is technically a text file, but not very easy for humans to read. To address this the readbootlog(1) command can be used to display the boot log without the control characters.
Bootlogd works by redirecting the console output from the console device. (Consequently bootlogd requires PTY support in the kernel configuration.) It copies that output to the real console device and to a log file. There is no standard way of ascertaining the real console device if you have a new-style /dev/console device (major 5, minor 1) so bootlogd parses the kernel command line looking for console=... lines and deduces the real console device from that. If that syntax is ever changed by the kernel, or a console type is used that bootlogd does not know about then bootlogd will not work.
Miquel van Smoorenburg, miquels@cistron.nl
July 21, 2003 |