OK to delete console.log files?

[CalfCanuck]

Was trying to tighten up my iBook G4 hard drive, and came across 1.4 GB of console.log files.

Is there any reason I should not delete these? Are they merely descriptive of past events or does the system need them?

Seems a bit of a waste of good HD storage to me, but want to check it out here before I do something rash! 😉

 

[Bear]

Keep console.log get rid of console.log.#

 

[Platform]

Keep console.log get rid of console.log.#

Why is it good to keep the console.log 😕 and OK to get rid of console.log.#

 

[CalfCanuck]

Keep console.log get rid of console.log.#

Thanks!

My console.log.1-0 are 1.27 GB, while the console.log is only 4 KB.

I'm curious what causes a new log file to begin, as the old files range in size from 4 KB to 972 MB ...

 

[ravenvii]

Or you can just leave your computer on overnight (not sleeping), and OS X's maintainence cron jobs will take care of it for you.

 

[Bear]

Why is it good to keep the console.log 😕 and OK to get rid of console.log.#

console.log is the current file and if something goes wrong, it'll be good to have around to look at.

 

[yellow]

I'm curious what causes a new log file to begin, as the old files range in size from 4 KB to 972 MB ...

When you log in, a new console.log for your session is created and the old ones are rotated. If you have a laptop, chances are you sleep it constantly and don't logout/restart/login/etc very often, so your logs don't get rotated very often.

 

[Platform]

When you log in, a new console.log for your session is created and the old ones are rotated. If you have a laptop, chances are you sleep it constantly and don't logout/restart/login/etc very often, so your logs don't get rotated very often.

So that would be the reason for him havin so much log files 😕

 

[Platform]

console.log is the current file and if something goes wrong, it'll be good to have around to look at.

Thanks

But as mention earlier does OS X do the fixing job for you if you leave your system on for a long time 😕

 

[yellow]

Upon further reflection, it's more likely that the log gets rotated at logout. I'm not sure yet.

So that would be the reason for him havin so much log files 😕

He will never have more then 10 archived console logs.. but their size is an indication that something is potentially wrong with the system. Something was complaining bitterly and splatting to the console, which increased their size. And if whatever splats 5MB of crap into the console.log daily, and it's 1 month between actual reboots/relogs/whatever, you're looking at 155MB of wasted space. Then the log gets auto-magically rotated when you logout(/in?), and say you have 10 of them.. poof.. that's 1.6GB worth of disk space eaten up by your logs.

 

[yellow]

Nope, I was right the first time.. console.log is rotated and recreated at login.

 

[CalfCanuck]

He will never have more then 10 archived console logs.. but their size is an indication that something is potentially wrong with the system. Something was complaining bitterly and splatting to the console, which increased their size.

Thanks for the info.

The log files did seem to have calmed down a lot lately, so I'll be keeping an eye on them (as a example of how healthy my system is).

I'm not sure why the logs didn't clean themselves out, though, as I do sometimes leave the machine on overnight for a Retropspect backup.

 

[yellow]

I'm not sure why the logs didn't clean themselves out, though, as I do sometimes leave the machine on overnight for a Retropspect backup.

Console.log isn't touched by the overnight scripts. Peruse /etc/daily, /etc/weekly, and /etc/monthly for confirmation.