How to Install Logwatch on CentOS 6

Posted on August 11, 2014 by J. Mays

Category: Tutorials | Tags: CentOS, CentOS 6, centos 6.5, Errors, Log Files, Logs, Logwatch, Perl, Troubleshooting

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Logwatch is a Perl-based log management tool for analyzing, summarizing, and reporting on a server’s log files. It is most often used to send a short digest of server’s log activity to a system administrator.

What are log files? Logs are application-generated files useful for tracking down and understanding what has happened in the past.

Pre-Flight Check

These instructions are intended specifically for installing the Logwatch on CentOS 6.
I’ll be working from a Liquid Web Core Managed CentOS 6.5 server, and I’ll be logged in as root.

Step 1: Install Logwatch

As a matter of best practice we’ll update our packages:

yum -y update

Then let’s install Logwatch and any required packages:

yum -y install logwatch

Step 2: Configuration File Locations

Local Configuration Options can be found in:

/etc/logwatch/conf/logwatch.conf

Default Configuration Options can be found in:

/usr/share/logwatch/default.conf/logwatch.conf

It is best practice to leave the Default Configuration as is, and edit the Local Configuration option, which is under /etc as listed above.

About the Author: J. Mays

As a previous contributor, JMays shares his insight with our Knowledge Base center. In our Knowledge Base, you'll be able to find how-to articles on Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora and much more!