Ubuntu Linux: View Boot Log

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How do I view detailed boot log of my Ubuntu system?

The dmesg command print or control the kernel ring buffer. You can also use files located in /var/log/ directory to see snapshot of boot messages. To see logs type the following command at shell prompt (open the terminal and type the commands):
$ dmesg | less
You can use the following two files as well:

  • /var/log/boot.log
  • /var/log/dmesg

To see them type:

less /var/log/boot.log
less /var/log/dmesg
grep error /var/log/dmesg
grep something /var/log/boot.log

Posted by: Vivek Gite

The author is the creator of nixCraft and a seasoned sysadmin, DevOps engineer, and a trainer for the Linux operating system/Unix shell scripting. Get the latest tutorials on SysAdmin, Linux/Unix and open source topics via RSS/XML feed or weekly email newsletter.

2 comment

  1. On a Ubuntu/Debian, Bootlog is turned of by default. Turn it on like this:

    vi /etc/default/bootlogd

    # Run bootlogd at startup ?
    BOOTLOGD_ENABLE=Yes

  2. hello, how to get boot log on boot remotly , i have a linux server in my office and i remote retart it but some times apache or mysql crach on boot time and i cant knew why i must go to my office and connect monitor to see the error,
    is there any way to see live boot message ?
    thank you

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