Package: rsyslog
Version: 4.6.4-2
Severity: wishlist
Tags: patch
Barring a couple of trivial non-native-speakerisms, rsyslog has a good
package description... for the version in Oldstable. It explains
everything in terms of why rsyslogd is better than "stock" syslogd,
leaving it to that vanished package to explain what a syslogd is and
why you might want one installed. (Debian Policy 3.4 states that
descriptions "should" convey this information, so I suppose I could
inflate the severity, but wishlist will do.)
Going through the control file:
# Package: rsyslog
[...]
# Description: enhanced multi-threaded syslogd
I would suggest taking out the "enhanced" (even nineties sysklogd
claimed to be "enhanced" relative to older versions) and the
"multi-threaded" (too much of an implementation detail, now that it's
the default), and replacing it with something more informative:
Description: reliable system and kernel logging daemon
Reliability is the particular "enhanced" feature it's named for
according to "http://www.rsyslog.com/doc/history.html";.
# Rsyslog is an enhanced syslogd supporting, amongst others:
An English problem ("amongst other whats?") and a content problem:
there should be at least a basic explanation here for what a syslogd
is. I've also rehoused the "multi-threaded" from the synopsis.
Rsyslog is a multi-threaded implementation of syslogd (a system utility
providing support for message logging), with features that include:
# * reliable syslog over TCP and SSL/TLS
# * on-demand disk buffering
# * email alerting
# * writing to MySQL or PostgreSQL databases (via separate output plugins)
# * permitted sender lists
# * filtering on any part of the syslog message
# * on-the-wire message compression
These are all fine (as far as I know; you might want to update the
feature list for recent releases).
# * fine grained output format control
^
Needs a hyphen.
# * backup log destinations
That's unclear. It doesn't mean it's storing backups of its logs, or
indeed logs of backups - it means you can set it up to switch to a
different logging destination if the first becomes unavailable. So
say that it supports:
* failover to backup destinations
# .
# It is quite compatible to stock sysklogd and can be used as a drop-in
# replacement. Its advanced features make it suitable for enterprise-class,
# encryption protected syslog relay chains while at the same time being very
# easy to setup for the novice user.
That first line is obsolete; the last line is misleading (it requires
*zero* special attention from a novice Debian user) and misspells
"setup" (the verb is two words), so I've replaced this whole paragraph
with a bulletpoint and a new summary line:
* enterprise-class encrypted syslog relaying
.
It is the default syslogd on Debian systems.
Meanwhile...
# Package: rsyslog-doc
This has a couple of minor English-usage glitches that I thought I
might as well fix while I was here.
[...]
# This package contains detailed HTML documentation of rsyslog.
s/of/for/
# .
# It describes the general configuration file syntax, like filters, actions and
# templates and has detailed information for all available configuration
# directives.
Unclear, but I think it means:
It describes the general configuration file syntax for filters, actions,
templates, etc, and has detailed information for all available configuration
directives.
[...]
# Package: rsyslog-relp
[...]
# These plugins allows rsyslog to send and receive syslog messages via the
# RELP protocol. RELP ensures the reliable transport over the network even on
# connection loss or if a peer becomes unavailable.
Surplus article - "RELP ensures reliable transport over the network".
-- System Information:
Debian Release: 6.0
APT prefers stable
APT policy: (500, 'stable'), (200, 'squeeze-updates')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.32-5-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_GB.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_GB.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Versions of packages rsyslog depends on:
ii libc6 2.11.2-10 Embedded GNU C Library: Shared lib
ii lsb-base 3.2-23.2squeeze1 Linux Standard Base 3.2 init scrip
ii zlib1g 1:1.2.3.4.dfsg-3 compression library - runtime
Versions of packages rsyslog recommends:
ii logrotate 3.7.8-6 Log rotation utility
Versions of packages rsyslog suggests:
pn rsyslog-doc <none> (no description available)
pn rsyslog-gnutls <none> (no description available)
pn rsyslog-gssapi <none> (no description available)
pn rsyslog-mysql | rsyslog-pgsql <none> (no description available)
pn rsyslog-relp <none> (no description available)
-- Configuration Files:
/etc/logcheck/ignore.d.server/rsyslog [Errno 13] Permission denied:
u'/etc/logcheck/ignore.d.server/rsyslog'
-- no debconf information
--
JBR
Ankh kak! (Ancient Egyptian blessing)
diff -ru rsyslog-4.6.4.pristine//debian/control rsyslog-4.6.4/debian/control
--- rsyslog-4.6.4.pristine//debian/control 2010-11-30 13:50:44.000000000 +0000
+++ rsyslog-4.6.4/debian/control 2011-02-11 20:33:43.833255831 +0000
@@ -16,8 +16,9 @@
Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${misc:Depends}, lsb-base (>= 3.2-14)
Recommends: logrotate
Suggests: rsyslog-mysql | rsyslog-pgsql, rsyslog-doc, rsyslog-gnutls, rsyslog-gssapi, rsyslog-relp
-Description: enhanced multi-threaded syslogd
- Rsyslog is an enhanced syslogd supporting, amongst others:
+Description: reliable system and kernel logging daemon
+ Rsyslog is a multi-threaded implementation of syslogd (a system utility
+ providing support for message logging), with features that include:
* reliable syslog over TCP and SSL/TLS
* on-demand disk buffering
* email alerting
@@ -25,13 +26,11 @@
* permitted sender lists
* filtering on any part of the syslog message
* on-the-wire message compression
- * fine grained output format control
- * backup log destinations
+ * fine-grained output format control
+ * failover to backup destinations
+ * enterprise-class encrypted syslog relaying
.
- It is quite compatible to stock sysklogd and can be used as a drop-in
- replacement. Its advanced features make it suitable for enterprise-class,
- encryption protected syslog relay chains while at the same time being very
- easy to setup for the novice user.
+ It is the default syslogd on Debian systems.
Package: rsyslog-doc
Section: doc
@@ -42,10 +41,10 @@
Depends: ${misc:Depends}
Suggests: doc-base, www-browser
Description: documentation for rsyslog
- This package contains detailed HTML documentation of rsyslog.
+ This package contains detailed HTML documentation for rsyslog.
.
- It describes the general configuration file syntax, like filters, actions and
- templates and has detailed information for all available configuration
+ It describes the general configuration file syntax for filters, actions,
+ templates, etc, and has detailed information for all available configuration
directives.
Package: rsyslog-mysql
@@ -92,5 +91,5 @@
Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${misc:Depends}, rsyslog (= ${binary:Version})
Description: RELP protocol support for rsyslog
These plugins allows rsyslog to send and receive syslog messages via the
- RELP protocol. RELP ensures the reliable transport over the network even on
+ RELP protocol. RELP ensures reliable transport over the network even on
connection loss or if a peer becomes unavailable.
