# Firestarter and System log

## JHuizingh

I have just installed firestarter to be my firewall, and I set it up and it basically works.  When I start the program, it says  *Quote:*   

> "Failed to open the system log, no realtime hit information will be available.  Please make sure the syslog daemon is running"

 

I have metalog installed, and when I check if it is running, I get this:

```
/etc/init.d/metalog status

 * status:  started

```

Why can't firestarter use the system log?

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## geophagus

firestarter always checks for messages in /var/log/messages. This is the default syslog message file (i.e. nearly every syslog messages is written to this file). If you for instance use metalog instead of syslog, then the default message file is /var/log/everything/current. Simply create a symbolic link and firestarter does no longer complain an will be able to parse firewall messages.

```

# cd /var/log

# ln -s everything/current messages

```

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## andresh

Thanks, that was what I needed too.

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## cuchumino

thanx man, that helped me  out too.  :Smile: 

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## makentoo

Thanks,

works for me too...  :Smile: 

Makentoo

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## GentooMik

 :Very Happy:   This thread is old but wanted to say Thank You it worked for me too. I was going  nuts trying to figure out the issue here at hand.

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## pjv

works nicely  :Wink: !

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