dmesg(ADM)                      19 June 1992                      dmesg(ADM)


 Name

    dmesg - display the system messages on the console

 Syntax

    dmesg [ - ]

 Description

    The dmesg command displays all the system messages that have been gen-
    erated since the last time the system was booted.  If the option - (the
    dash key) is specified, it displays only those messages that have been
    generated since the last time the dmesg command was performed.

    dmesg can be invoked periodically by placing instructions in the file
    /usr/lib/crontab.  It can also be invoked automatically by the /etc/rc2
    scripts whenever the system is booted.  See ``Notes'', below.

    dmesg logs all error messages it prints in /usr/adm/messages.  If dmesg
    is invoked automatically, the messages file continues to grow and can
    become very large.  The system administrator should occasionally erase
    its contents.

 Files

    /etc/dmesg
    /usr/adm/messages
    /usr/adm/msgbuf

 Notes

    dmesg is included in this release for backwards compatibility only.  The
    device /dev/error provides a more flexible means of logging error mes-
    sages, and is recommended over dmesg.  See error(M) for more information.

 See also

    cron(C), error(M),

 Credit

    dmesg was developed at the University of California, Berkeley, and is
    used with permission.