#!/bin/bash
LOG_DIR=/var/log
ROOT_UID=0 # Only users with $UID 0 have root privileges.
LINES=50 # Default number of lines saved.
E_XCD=86 # Can’t change directory?
E_NOTROOT=87 # Non-root exit error.
# Run as root, of course.
if [ "$UID" -ne "$ROOT_UID" ]
then
echo “Must be root to run this script.”
exit $E_NOTROOT
fi
if [ -n "$1" ]
# Test whether command-line argument is present (non-empty).
then
lines=$1
else
lines=$LINES # Default, if not specified on command-line.
fi
cd $LOG_DIR
if [ `pwd` != "$LOG_DIR" ] # or if [ "$PWD" != "$LOG_DIR" ]
# Not in /var/log?
then
echo “Can’t change to $LOG_DIR.”
exit $E_XCD
fi # Doublecheck if in right directory before messing with log file.
# Far more efficient is:
#
# cd /var/log || {
# echo “Cannot change to necessary directory.” >&2
# exit $E_XCD;
# }
tail -n $lines messages > mesg.temp # Save last section of message log file.
mv mesg.temp messages # Becomes new log directory.
# cat /dev/null > messages
#* No longer needed, as the above method is safer.
cat /dev/null > wtmp # ‘: > wtmp’ and ‘> wtmp’ have the same effect.
echo “Logs cleaned up.”
exit 0
# A zero return value from the script upon exit indicates success
