Checking Logs

Checking Logs Under Service Management in Linux plays a vital role in systems administration and troubleshooting procedures. Logs are fundamental for an in-depth understanding of what's going on inside a Linux system. These records provide a chronological record of events related to your system for use in debugging and troubleshooting problems.

Several essential logs generated by system processes, users and administrator actions can be found in /var/log directory. Logs can be accessed and viewed using several commands. For example, the dmesg command can be used to display the kernel ring buffer. Most system logs are managed by systemd and can be checked using the command journalctl.

journalctl

This command will show the entire system log from the boot to the moment you're calling the journal.

To display logs for a specific service, the -u option can be used followed by the service’s name.

journalctl -u service_name

Remember, understanding and monitoring your system logs will provide you a clear view of what's going on in your Linux environment. It is a vital skill worth developing to effectively manage and troubleshoot systems.