On 12/27/2014 10:52:04 AM, Mick wrote: > On Friday 26 Dec 2014 23:33:33 Peter Humphrey wrote: > > Hello list, > > > > For some time now I've had syslog-ng writing /var/log/messages in a > binary > > format: > > > > # file /var/log/messages > > /var/log/messages: data > > # grep syslog-ng /var/log/messages > > Binary file /var/log/messages matches > > > > Yet: > > > > # head /var/log/messages > > Dec 21 03:10:02 wstn run-crons[29014]: (root) CMD > (/etc/cron.daily/man-db) > > [...] > > > > Can I use the following method to restore the original text format > of > > /var/log/messages? > > > > 1. Boot rescue system and mount main system > > 2. # cd /mnt/main/var/log > > 3. # mv messages messages.bin > > 4. # strings messages.bin > messages > > 5. # rm messages.bin > > 6. Reboot. > > > > I tried steps 1 - 4 and got a text file with very long lines, but I > > chickened out before rebooting. > > > > It would be nice to find a config setting that's changed, but the > change > > log is silent and the admin guide gives me a headache :-( > > > I don't know if this is a matter of changing some setting a in a > config file - > I haven't found any yet. It seems that upon boot up some binary data > is > written in the otherwise plain text logs: > > > Dec 22 10:15:21 dell_xps syslog-ng[1526]: syslog-ng starting up; > version='3.4.8' > Dec 22 10:15:21 dell_xps syslog-ng[1526]: syslog-ng starting up; > version='3.4.8' > Dec 22 10:15:21 dell_xps syslog-ng[1526]: syslog-ng starting up; > version='3.4.8' > Dec 22 10:15:21 > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ kernel: Initializing cgroup > subsys > cpuset > > Dec 22 10:15:21 > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ kernel: Initializing cgroup subsys cpuset > Dec 22 10:15:21 > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@ > [snip ...] > > I don't know if this is caused by some systemd infection of our > systems! LOL! > > > If you use 'less -L /var/log/messages' or cat, then you will be able > to view > the logs in text format. If you need to grep stuff then you can use: > > grep --binary-files=text -i firewall /var/log/messages > [snip ...] > > Dec 27 09:24:03 dell_xps firewall: ** All firewall rules applied ** > Dec 27 09:24:03 dell_xps firewall: ** All firewall rules applied ** > > > Be careful that using grep like this might cause your terminal to > execute some > of the binary output as a command (check the man page). > > -- > Regards, > Mick >
I think this was a long standig bug. Version 3.6.2 seems to have fixed this. Helmut.
