How Can We Install and Use Logwatch on Linux Mint 20

Introduction:

Logwatch is a very powerful log analyzer for Linux systems. It is basically used to monitor all the logs of a Linux server and then it can generate a detailed log report. As far as the scope of this tutorial is concerned, then we will be sharing with you the procedures of installing and using the Logwatch utility on a Linux Mint 20 system.

Installing Logwatch on Linux Mint 20:

To have Logwatch installed on your Linux Mint 20 system, you need to go on with the following sequence of steps:

Step # 1: System Updation:

First, you should carry out a complete system update with the command shown below:

$ sudo apt-get update –y

Step # 2: Logwatch Installation:

Now, you can install Logwatch on your system with the following command:

$ sudo apt-get install logwatch –y

Step # 3: Version Checking of Logwatch Installation:

Once Logwatch is installed successfully on your system, you can check its version by executing the command shown below:

$ logwatch --version

The version of the Logwatch utility that we have just installed is shown in the following image:

Using Logwatch on Linux Mint 20:

To use Logwatch on your Linux Mint 20 system, you need to perform the steps stated below:

Step # 1: Creating the Logwatch Directory:

Before using Logwatch, we need to create a dedicated directory for it with the help of the following command:

$ sudo mkdir /var/cache/logwatch

The successful creation of this directory will not produce any output as you can see from the image shown below:

Step # 2: Executing the Logwatch Command:

Once a dedicated Logwatch directory has been created, you can execute the Logwatch command as follows:

$ logwatch

This command will generate a detailed Logwatch report as shown in the image below. You can scroll down to view the contents of the entire Logwatch report.

Removing Logwatch from Linux Mint 20:

Now, if you want to remove the Logwatch utility from your system, then you will have to follow the two steps that are mentioned below:

Step # 1: Removing the Logwatch Directory:

First, you need to remove the dedicated Logwatch directory that you have created with the help of the following command:

$ sudo rmdir /var/cache/logwatch

Step # 2: Removing the Logwatch Utility:

Once the Logwatch directory is removed, you can remove this utility from your Linux Mint 20 system with the command shown below:

$ sudo apt-get purge --autoremove logwatch 

Conclusion:

By installing the Logwatch utility on your Linux server, you will be able to keep an eye on your server logs and hence, you can quickly figure out any possible issues. Moreover, you can easily get rid of this utility if you do not wish to use it any longer simply by executing a single Linux command.