No kernel messages are logged to kern.log

Question

I am trying to configure rsyslog. Ultimately, I want to have a log file of dropped packets but I can't get rsyslog to log properly.

/etc/rsyslog.conf looks like this:

#  /etc/rsyslog.conf    Configuration file for rsyslog.
#
#                       For more information see
#                       /usr/share/doc/rsyslog-doc/html/rsyslog_conf.html
#
#  Default logging rules can be found in /etc/rsyslog.d/50-default.conf


#################
#### MODULES ####
#################

$ModLoad imuxsock # provides support for local system logging
#$ModLoad imklog   # provides kernel logging support
#$ModLoad immark  # provides --MARK-- message capability

# provides UDP syslog reception
#$ModLoad imudp
#$UDPServerRun 514

# provides TCP syslog reception
#$ModLoad imtcp
#$InputTCPServerRun 514


###########################
#### GLOBAL DIRECTIVES ####
###########################

#
# Use traditional timestamp format.
# To enable high precision timestamps, comment out the following line.
#
$ActionFileDefaultTemplate RSYSLOG_TraditionalFileFormat

# Filter duplicated messages
$RepeatedMsgReduction on

#
# Set the default permissions for all log files.
#
$FileOwner syslog
$FileGroup adm
$FileCreateMode 0640
$DirCreateMode 0755
$Umask 0022
$PrivDropToUser syslog
$PrivDropToGroup syslog

#
# Where to place spool and state files
#
$WorkDirectory /var/spool/rsyslog

#
# Include all config files in /etc/rsyslog.d/
#
$IncludeConfig /etc/rsyslog.d/*.conf

/etc/rsyslog.d/50-default.conf looks like this:

#  Default rules for rsyslog.
#
#                       For more information see rsyslog.conf(5) and /etc/rsyslog.conf

#
# First some standard log files.  Log by facility.
#
auth,authpriv.*          -/var/log/auth.log
*.*;auth,authpriv.none          -/var/log/syslog
#cron.*                  -/var/log/cron.log
#daemon.*                       -/var/log/daemon.log
kern.*                          -/var/log/kern.log
#lpr.*                          -/var/log/lpr.log
mail.*                          -/var/log/mail.log
#user.*                         -/var/log/user.log

#
# Logging for the mail system.  Split it up so that
# it is easy to write scripts to parse these files.
#
#mail.info                      -/var/log/mail.info
#mail.warn                      -/var/log/mail.warn
mail.err                 -/var/log/mail.err

#
# Logging for INN news system.
#
news.crit                -/var/log/news/news.crit
news.err                 -/var/log/news/news.err
news.notice                     -/var/log/news/news.notice

#
# Some "catch-all" log files.
#
#*.=debug;\
#       auth,authpriv.none;\
#       news.none;mail.none     -/var/log/debug
#*.=info;*.=notice;*.=warn;\
#       auth,authpriv.none;\
#       cron,daemon.none;\
#       mail,news.none          -/var/log/messages

#
# Emergencies are sent to everybody logged in.
#
*.emerg                                :omusrmsg:*

#
# I like to have messages displayed on the console, but only on a virtual
# console I usually leave idle.
#
#daemon,mail.*;\
#       news.=crit;news.=err;news.=notice;\
#       *.=debug;*.=info;\
#       *.=notice;*.=warn       /dev/tty8

# The named pipe /dev/xconsole is for the `xconsole' utility.  To use it,
# you must invoke `xconsole' with the `-file' option:
#
#    $ xconsole -file /dev/xconsole [...]
#
# NOTE: adjust the list below, or you'll go crazy if you have a reasonably
#      busy site..
#
daemon.*;mail.*;\
        news.err;\
        *.=debug;*.=info;\
        *.=notice;*.=warn       |/dev/xconsole

It's my understanding that kern.* -/var/log/kern.log directs all types of kernel messages to the file /var/log/kern.log. However, when issuing the command logger -p kern.info "kern.info: test" /var/log/kern.log remains empty. I am not sure how to proceed as the test message does appear in /var/log/syslog

Solution

Your rsyslog.conf doesn't load the input module for reading kernel logs. The relevant line is there, but it is commented out, so rsyslog ignores it:

$ModLoad imuxsock # provides support for local system logging
#$ModLoad imklog   # provides kernel logging support

Remove the # from the beginning of the imklog line, and restart rsyslogd.

Comments

[LangeHaare]

You wouldn't happen to have a guess as to why kernel logging is disabled by default? Is it unusual to log kernel messages?