Linux - /var/log/messages

[ginoitalo]

Anyone know why a Linux (Debian) box would keep writing this to the log file:

 

Apr 27 03:34:41 mast -- MARK --
Apr 27 03:54:41 mast -- MARK --
Apr 27 04:14:41 mast -- MARK --
Apr 27 04:34:41 mast -- MARK --

[major_small]

changed anything lately? what's the last program you start/stop before that message starts printing?

[ginoitalo]

not really, it's an Apache2/PHP SSL webserver,
fairly standard but I get those messages reguarly

They don't hurt but I can't see more important messages with them filling this log 24/7

[major_small]

apache has it's own logs, doesn't it?

I wouldn't check system-wide logs if you have something specific you want to keep watch over, even if your system is ostensibly running just that program...

other than finding the source, you could have a script that when that log fills, move it, clean out all the garbage, and append it to an 'archive' log, which would be what you check... you could even have it flag certain log entries so you don't have to sit there watching it all the time.

[ginoitalo]

Apache has it only logs, yes. I'm not looking for apache errors in this log however.

I'm looking for system errors/warnings that are likely being masked/archived by all these 'mark' statements.

[major_small]

well, like I said, the only way other than finding the source is to create some kind of script to weed those out after they've already been written.

Other than that, you can try starting apache in the console and just tail that...