Ah, my dear friend, let me regale you with a tale of digital intrigue and the curious case of the elusive /var/log/messages. Gather ’round, for this saga unfolds in the mystical land of Debian 12, where logs dance like fireflies under the moonlight.
Once upon a time, in the ancient era of traditional syslog systems, there existed a noble log file named /var/log/messages. It was a venerable repository, a sanctuary for whispers from the heart of the server. But alas, the winds of change blew fiercely, and systemd-journald emerged, wielding its mighty broom to sweep away the old ways.
Our protagonist, the diligent sysadmin, embarked on a quest to find the elusive /var/log/messages. Armed with a keyboard and a steaming cup of coffee, they delved into the labyrinthine depths of configuration files. Their eyes scanned /etc/logrotate.conf and /etc/logrotate.d/rsyslog, seeking clues like a detective chasing shadows.
“Fear not,” said the wise elder, “for the logs are being rotated by logrotate.” The sysadmin nodded solemnly, for they knew that logrotate was both friend and foe. “Check the crontab,” the elder continued. “Therein lies the secret dance of log rotation.”
And so, our intrepid sysadmin ventured forth, deciphering cryptic cron jobs. Lo and behold, they discovered the truth: /var/log/syslog had taken center stage, while /var/log/messages had slipped into the shadows. The sysadmin scratched their head, pondering the cosmic shift. “Why dost thou forsake us, oh ancient log?” they whispered.
But wait! A glimmer of hope! The sysadmin remembered the incantation: sudo apt-get install --reinstall rsyslog. They chanted it thrice, invoking the spirits of logging past. And lo, the logs flowed once more, like a babbling brook in springtime.
“Restart is not working,” they muttered, for even wizards encounter hiccups. But fear not, dear reader, for the sysadmin persisted. They danced the logrotate jig, tweaked the confounding settings, and whispered sweet nothings to the server. And behold, /var/log/messages reappeared, blinking like a long-lost friend.
And so ends our tale—a saga of logs, rotations, and the eternal struggle between tradition and progress. Remember, my friend, that in the realm of Debian 12, logs may vanish, but the sysadmin’s resolve remains unyielding. May your paths be well-logged, and may your troubleshooters be ever vigilant!