UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

This has broad implications but is there a way to tell which applications are logging into lets say xsessons error file? How do I tell which error messages pertain to which applications?


Thanks in advance!

I don't think I understood the question completely, but let me give it a try.

Are you looking for process writing to a common log file, multiple process into a common log file?

The last time I tried to get help with this issue the consensus was that the logs are just basically for the people that write the programs because it is very difficult to find out what the messages in the log mean. Unless we are up to speed of what the event that caused the error message that is logged, it does not mean anything to the person that did not write the code for the application. So as I do not think that being an expert on code I did not write is practical, I want to organize it so it is as comprehensible as possible.

I know that I can have the separate applications that use ksysd and syslogd (is it?) write to their own separate logs so I'm positive that these events only belong to this one/specific application. Otherwise I look at xsession errors for example and I don't have a clue which error messages where created by which application that writes to this log.

Now I would know which application created the message but not what it means. My next step would be to try to use the process of elimination to understand what the messages mean or get a closer understanding anyways.