29.2. Viewing Log Files
Most log files are in plain text format. You can view them with any text
editor such as Vi or
Emacs. Some log files are readable by all
users on the system; however, root priviledges are required to read most
log files.
To view system log files in an interactive, real-time application, use
the Log Viewer. To start the application, go
to the (on the Panel) =>
=>
, or type the command
redhat-logviewer at a shell prompt.
The application only displays log files that exist; thus, the list
might differ from the one shown in Figure 29-1. To view the complete list of log files
that it can view, refer to the configuration file,
/etc/sysconfig/redhat-logviewer.
By default, the currently viewable log file is refreshed every 30
seconds. To change the refresh rate, select
=>
from the pulldown menu. The
window shown in Figure 29-2 will
appear. In the Log Files tab, click the up and down
arrows beside the refresh rate to change it. Click
Close to return to the main window. The refresh
rate is changed immediately. To refresh the currently viewable file
manually, select => or press [Ctrl]-[R].
To filter the contents of the log file for keywords,
type the keyword or keywords in the Filter
for text field, and click
Filter. Click Reset to
reset the contents.
You can also change where the application looks for the log files from
the Log Files tab. Select the log file from the
list, and click the Change Location button. Type
the new location of the log file or click the
Browse button to locate the file location using a
file selection dialog. Click OK to return to the
preferences, and click Close to return to the
main window.
