EXPLAIN_SYSLOG(8)

💅 EXPLAIN_SYSLOG — okay so your syslog is talking, let's translate

bestie, this is the explain_syslog page from section 8 of the manual — Diagnostic Tools territory. she's a little diagnostic angel and she's about to read your logs so you don't have to ✨

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

explain_syslog [ -b begin_time ] [ -e end_time ]
[ -m message_file | -M ] [ -C catalog_dir ] [ -h ] [ -d ]

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

okay so here's the vibe: explain_syslog reads the message file you point it at (and if you don't point it anywhere, it just defaults to stdin, no big deal 🫶). That file should be in the format that the syslogd daemon produces — like, that's the whole assignment.

Then, for each line that matches a message that's documented in the message catalog, explain_syslog prints out an explanation for you. And not just "here's what it means" — it also gives you the probable cause and the recommended action. like she's not just gonna tell you something's wrong, she's gonna tell you what to do about it. main character energy fr fr 👑

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✨ OPTIONS ✨

• -b begin_time — skips any messages with timestamps before begin_time. check the "Timestamps" section below, iykyk 💅
• -C catalog_dir — uses the message catalog sitting in catalog_dir. default is /etc/ppc64-diag/message_catalog, no cap.
• -d — prints debugging output on stderr. very "let me see what's happening internally" of you 🔍
• -e end_time — skips any messages with timestamps after end_time. again, see "Timestamps."
• -h — prints the help text and exits. the classic escape hatch 🚪
• -m message_file — reads syslog messages from the file you specify instead of stdin.
• -M — reads syslog messages from the system default location. she knows where it lives already 💁‍♀️

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🦋 TIMESTAMPS 🦋

here's the tea — these are the timestamp formats that explain_syslog recognizes:

• month day [ year ] [hh:mm[:ss]] — e.g., Feb 12 2010 14:30
• month day hh:mm[:ss] [ year ]
• day month [ year ] [hh:mm[:ss]] — e.g., 12 Feb 14:30
• day month hh:mm[:ss] [ year ]
• year-month-day [hh:mm[:ss]] — e.g., 2010-2-12 14:30:00

and the fine print, because there always is some:

• if no year is specified, explain_syslog assumes the timestamp is from the prior 12 months 👀
• if no hh:mm is specified, explain_syslog assumes 00:00:00 ⏰

lowkey important: those assumptions are doing real work, so don't be surprised when a year-less timestamp gets read as "sometime in the last 12 months." that's just how she rolls.

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💖 AUTHOR 💖

written by Jim Keniston (jkenisto@us.ibm.com). and the conversion of format strings to regular expressions — you know, the part that matches syslog messages to catalog entries — was written by Jesse Larrew (jlarrew@us.ibm.com). tag team, slay 🤝

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🌈 FILES 🌈

• /etc/ppc64-diag/message_catalog/* — message catalog 🗂️

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• syslog_to_servicelog(8)
• syslog(3)

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and that's the whole page, bestie 💜 this one's a Linux joint, dated March 2010 — vintage but still iconic, periodt 🎀