With in the /var/log directory how does the log files get removed?  Does
some kind of cron script remove them.

Thanks

zpyoung

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zpyoung wrote:
> With in the /var/log directory how does the log files get removed?  Does
>  some kind of cron script remove them.
>
logrotate rotates them, and the oldest ones fall off the edge of the earth.

E.g.,

/var/log/messages.4 falls of the edge of the earth
/var/log/messages.3 becomes /var/log/messages.4
/var/log/messages.2 becomes /var/log/messages.3
/var/log/messages.1 becomes /var/log/messages.2
/var/log/messages   becomes /var/log/messages.1
then a new /var/log/messages is created.
There is nothing magic about the "4", but that is how it is usually set in
Red Hat distributions.

A cron script does run them. Look in /etc/cron.daily for _logrotate_
and do

man logrotate

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