syslog(3) Library Functions Manual syslog(3)
NAME
closelog, openlog, setlogmask, syslog, closelog_r, openlog_r, setlogmask_r, syslog_r - Control system log
LIBRARY
Standard C Library (libc.so, libc.a)
SYNOPSIS
#include <syslog.h>
void closelog(void);
void openlog(
const char *id,
int log_option,
int facility);
int setlogmask(
int mask_priority);
void syslog(
int priority,
const char *format,...);
void closelog_r(
struct syslog_data *syslog_data);
int openlog_r(
const char *id,
int log_option,
int facility,
struct syslog_data *syslog_data);
int setlogmask_r(
int mask_priority,
struct syslog_data *syslog_data);
int syslog_r(
int priority,
struct syslog_data *syslog_data,
const char *format,...);
The following function declarations do not conform to current standards and are supported only for backward compatibility.
int openlog(
const char *id,
int log_option,
int facility);
int syslog(
int priority,
const char *format,...);
STANDARDS
Interfaces documented on this reference page conform to industry standards as follows:
closelog(), openlog(), setlogmask(), syslog(): XSH4.2
Refer to the standards(5) reference page for more information about industry standards and associated tags.
PARAMETERS
Specifies a string that is attached to the beginning of every message. Specifies logging options. Values of the log_option parameter
include: Logs the process ID with each message. This option is useful for identifying daemons. Sends messages to the console if unable to
send them to syslogd. This option is useful in daemon processes that have no controlling terminal. Opens the connection to syslogd imme-
diately, instead of when the first message is logged. This option is useful for programs that need to manage the order in which file
descriptors are allocated.
[Tru64 UNIX] This option is required for programs using the chroot system call. Delays opening the connection until syslog() is
called. Logs messages to the console without waiting for child processes that are forked. Use this option for processes that enable
notification of termination of child processes through SIGCHLD; otherwise, the syslog() function may block, waiting for a child
process whose exit status has already been collected. Specifies the facility that generated the message, which is one of the fol-
lowing: [Tru64 UNIX] Messages generated by the kernel. These cannot be generated by any user processes. Messages generated by user
processes. This is the default facility when none is specified. [Tru64 UNIX] Messages generated by the mail system. [Tru64
UNIX] Messages generated by system daemons. [Tru64 UNIX] Messages generated by the authorization system: login, su, and so on.
[Tru64 UNIX] Messages generated by the line printer spooling system. [Tru64 UNIX] Messages generated by remote file systems.
Reserved for local use.
This parameter encodes a default facility from the previous list to be assigned to messages that do not have an explicit facility
encoded. Messages are tagged with codes indicating the type of priority for each. The priority parameter is encoded as a facility
(as previously listed), which describes the part of the system generating the message, and as a level, which indicates the severity
of the message. The level of severity is selected from the following list: A panic condition was reported to all users. Specifies a
condition to be corrected immediately, for example, a corrupted database. Specifies a critical conditions, for example, hard device
errors. Specifies errors. Specifies warning messages. Specifies that it is not an error condition, but a condition requiring spe-
cial handling. Specifies general information messages. Specifies messages containing information useful in debugging a program.
Similar to the printf fmt string, with the difference that %m is replaced by the current error message obtained from errno. A
trailing newline can be added to the message if needed. The value parameters are the same as the value parameters of the printf()
function. Callers of syslog() must ensure that the message is not longer than LINE_MAX bytes. Results are unspecified if syslog()
is called with a message larger than LINE_MAX bytes. Specifies a bit mask used to set the new log priority mask and return the pre-
vious mask. The LOG_MASK and LOG_UPTO macros in the sys/syslog.h file are used to create the priority mask. [Tru64 UNIX] The
closelog_r(), openlog_r(), setlogmask_r(), and syslog_r() functions use this opaque structure.
DESCRIPTION
The syslog() function writes messages to the system log maintained by the syslogd daemon.
The syslogd daemon reads messages and writes them to the system console or to a log file, or forwards them to the syslogd daemon on the
appropriate host.
If the syslog() function cannot pass the message to syslogd, it writes the message on /dev/console, provided the LOG_CONS option is set.
If special processing is required, the openlog() function can be used to initialize the log file.
[Tru64 UNIX] If a program is using the chroot system call, the syslog routine will not work correctly unless the program calls the openlog
or openlog_r routine prior to making the call to chroot .
The closelog() function closes the log file.
The setlogmask() function uses the bit mask in the mask_priority parameter to set the new log priority mask and returns the previous mask.
Logging is enabled for the levels indicated by the bits in the mask that are set and is disabled where the bits are not set. The default
mask allows all priorities to be logged. If the syslog() function is called with a priority mask that does not allow logging of that level
of message, then the function returns without logging the message.
The log_option, facility, and priority macros are defined in the <sys/syslog_pri.h> file.
NOTES
[Tru64 UNIX] The closelog_r(), openlog_r(), syslog_r(), and setlogmask_r() functions use the syslog_data structure to maintain syslog
access state. They can be used in place of closelog(), openlog(), syslog(), and setlogmask() when it is necessary to have a unique set of
IDs, options, facilities, or masks for each thread in a multithreaded application. The data object syslog_data should be initialized to
SYSLOG_DATA_INIT.
RETURN VALUES
[XSH4.2] The setlogmask() function returns the previous log priority mask. The closelog(), openlog(), and syslog() functions return no
value.
[Tru64 UNIX] The backward-compatible version of the syslog() function returns a value of -1 if either the priority mask excludes this mes-
sage from being logged, or if an error occurs and it is impossible to send the message to the syslogd daemon or to the system console.
[Tru64 UNIX] Upon successful completion, the backward-compatible version of the openlog() function returns a value of 0 (zero). Other-
wise, a value of -1 is returned and errno is set to indicate the error.
RELATED INFORMATION
Functions: profil(2)
Standards: standards(5) delim off
syslog(3)