OpenSuse Linux: How to Read Logs (Log Files)

How do I read and/or view logs files under OpenSuse / Novell Enterprise Linux?

You can use the following commands to view / read logs under OpenSuse / Novell Linux or UNIX like operating systems:

• tail command - The tail command displays the contents of file on screen. It can show logs in real time too.
• grep command - The grep command is used to search the log files.
• less command - Another command which can display logs.
• yast / yast2 command - YaST View Start-up Log displays not only the start-up (or boot) log, but various other bits of information.

Log Directory Location

Your logs files are stored in /var/log directory (you must be root user to view log files):

    /var/log/message: General message and system related stuff
    /var/log/boot.log : System boot log
    /var/log/mysqld.log: MySQL database server log file
    /var/log/secure: Authentication log
    /var/log/utmp or /var/log/wtmp : Login records file
    /var/log/yum.log: Yum log files

How Do I View Log File?

To see /var/log/messagess log file, enter:

tail -f /var/log/messagess
less /var/log/messagess
more /var/log/messagess

How Do I Search Log File?

Use the grep command as follows:
grep 'search-string' /var/log/messages
egrep 'word1|word2' /var/log/messages
grep --color 'search-wrod2' /var/log/boot.msg

YasT command

YaST is the most powerful installation and system management tool in the Linux environment. start You can YaST by typing yast
yast
OR
yast2