.Ch "Log File Formats in C News"
.Ix logs
.Ix "file formats"
.SH
Introduction
.PP
The two main log files in C news are
.Df log
.Df files log
.Df errlog
.Df files errlog
\fINEWSCTL\fP\fB/log\fR
and
\fINEWSCTL\fP\fB/errlog\fR,
which are the standard output and standard error streams
of
.I relaynews .
.Ix relaynews
.B errlog
should be empty;
if not,
something is seriously wrong,
probably with your configuration or
with unencapsulated news arriving mangled
courtesy of some network.
.SH
Formats
.PP
.B errlog
is a copy of any error messages written on
standard error by
.I relaynews
or its auxiliaries
(including control messages programs).
There are no timestamps
and the contents obey no special format.
A non-empty
.B errlog
is a sign of trouble,
which should be fixed promptly.
.PP
.B log
is written in a stylised format,
with whitespace separating the fields:
date and time, to millisecond resolution though possibly not
to millisecond accuracy;
the machine that sent us this article;
a single-character classification code;
the article's message-id;
and
code-specific information.
For example,
.DS L
.ft B
.ps 8
.vs 10
Jun 30 03:32:18.960 utgpu + <1312@sunset.MATH.UCLA.EDU> mailrus dptcdc me
Jun 30 03:32:19.600 utgpu j <1312@sunset.MATH.UCLA.EDU> junked due to groups `alt.drugs'
Jul  3 18:55:35.492 utstat s <470@lexicon.com> utzoo-real
Jul  3 18:55:35.912 utstat i <8907031824.AA09129@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> utzoo-send-ids
Jul  4 06:40:22.395 jarvis.csri.toronto.edu + <0541.AA0541@worsel> utgpu
Jul  4 06:40:22.595 jarvis.csri.toronto.edu + <0549.AA0549@worsel> utgpu
Jul  4 07:00:26.565 jarvis.csri.toronto.edu + <295@lancelot> utgpu
Jul  4 07:17:51.537 utgpu - <8258@saturn.ucsc.edu> duplicate
Jul  4 07:17:51.697 utgpu - <1675@neoucom.UUCP> duplicate
Jul  4 07:17:51.757 utgpu - <89Jul4.043358edt.10369@neat.ai.toronto.edu> duplicate
Jul  4 17:23:28.234 utgpu - <2537@quanta.eng.ohio-state.edu> no subscribed groups in `rec.arts.sf-lovers,rec.arts.startrek,rec.arts.drwho'
Jul  4 19:17:15.785 utgpu - <89Jul4.190330edt.5559@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca> all groups `list.humanist' excluded in active
.vs
.ps
.ft
.DE
.PP
The classification codes are:
.TS
c | c | c
cfB | lw(2.75i) | l .
code	article disposition	code-specific information
_
\-	rejected	reason for rejection
+	accepted	list of sites to which this article was relayed
j	T{
accepted but filed in the \fIjunk\fR pseudo-newsgroup; preceding line will be \fB+\fR
T}	reason for junking
i	generated in response to an \fIihave\fR control message	list of sites to which this article was relayed
s	generated in response to a \fIsendme\fR control message	list of sites to which this article was relayed
.TE
.PP
Beware that control-message handlers inherit
.I relaynews 's
standard output, so if any of them natters on standard output
(we believe none of ours do), the nattering will appear in
.B log .