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 privileges 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 main menu on the
panel) =>
=>
, or type the command
system-logviewer at a shell prompt.
The application only displays log files that exist; thus, the list
might differ from the one shown in Figure 36-1.
To filter the contents of the log file for keywords, type the keyword(s)
in the Filter for text field, and click
Filter. Click Reset to
reset the contents.
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 36-2
appears. 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].
On the Log Files tab in the Preferences, the log
file locations can be modified. Select the log file from the list, and
click the Edit 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.
