NAME

     closelog, openlog, syslog -  send  messages  to  the  system
     logger


SYNOPSIS

     #include <syslog.h>

     void openlog( char *ident, int option, int  facility

     void syslog( int priority, char *format, ...)

     void closelog( void )



DESCRIPTION

     closelog() closes the descriptor being used to write to  the
     system logger.  The use of closelog() is optional.

     openlog() opens a connection to the system logger for a pro-
     gram.   The string pointed to by ident is added to each mes-
     sage, and is typically set to the program name.  Values  for
     option  and facility are given in the next section.  The use
     of openlog() is optional; It will automatically be called by
     syslog()  if  necessary, in which case ident will default to
     NULL.

     syslog() generates a log message, which will be  distributed
     by  syslogd(8).   priority  is a combination of the facility
     and the level, values for which are given in the  next  sec-
     tion.  The remaining arguments are a format, as in printf(3)
     and any arguments required by the format,  except  that  the
     two  character  %m  will  be  replaced  by the error message
     string (strerror) corresponding  to  the  present  value  of
     errno.



PARAMETERS

     This section lists the parameters used to set the values  of
     option, facility, and priority.

  option
     The option argument to openlog() is an OR of any of these:

     LOG_CONS
          write directly to system console if there is  an  error
          while sending to system logger

     LOG_NDELAY
          open the connection immediately (normally, the  connec-
          tion is opened when the first message is logged)

     LOG_PERROR
          print to stderr as well

     LOG_PID
          include PID with each message

  facility
     The facility argument is used to specify what type  of  pro-
     gram  is  logging  the message.  This lets the configuration
     file specify that messages from different facilities will be
     handled differently.

     LOG_AUTH
          security/authorization   messages    (DEPRECATED    Use
          LOG_AUTHPRIV instead)

     LOG_AUTHPRIV
          security/authorization messages (private)

     LOG_CRON
          clock daemon (cron and at)

     LOG_DAEMON
          other system daemons

     LOG_KERN
          kernel messages

     LOG_LOCAL0 through LOG_LOCAL7
          reserved for local use

     LOG_LPR
          line printer subsystem

     LOG_MAIL
          mail subsystem

     LOG_NEWS
          USENET news subsystem

     LOG_SYSLOG
          messages generated internally by syslogd

     LOG_USER(default)
          generic user-level messages

     LOG_UUCP
          UUCP subsystem


  level
     This determines the importance of the message.   The  levels
     are, in order of decreasing importance:
     LOG_EMERG
          system is unusable

     LOG_ALERT
          action must be taken immediately

     LOG_CRIT
          critical conditions

     LOG_ERR
          error conditions

     LOG_WARNING
          warning conditions

     LOG_NOTICE
          normal, but significant, condition

     LOG_INFO
          informational message

     LOG_DEBUG
          debug-level message




HISTORY

     A syslog function call appeared in BSD 4.2.


SEE ALSO

     logger(1), syslog.conf(5), syslogd(8)