logrotate unable to rotate logs

Question

logrotate is unable to rotate my logs. I have checked the file permissions, they are fine.

I have even tried by putting "su root root" in the configuration file, still I am facing the same issue.

Please find the relevant details below:

logrotate.conf file:

/var/log/testlog {
    compress
    delaycompress
     maxage 180
    rotate 15
    size 1024M
    start 1
    rotate 15
    missingok
}

Debug Logs: [using "-d]

rotating pattern: /var/log/testlog  1073741824 bytes (15 rotations)
empty log files are not rotated, old logs are removed
considering log /var/log/testlog
  log needs rotating
rotating log /var/log/testlog, log->rotateCount is 15
dateext suffix '-20140708'
glob pattern '-[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]'
compressing log with: /bin/gzip
renaming /var/log/testlog.15.gz to /var/log/testlog.16.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 15), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.14.gz to /var/log/testlog.15.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 14), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.13.gz to /var/log/testlog.14.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 13), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.12.gz to /var/log/testlog.13.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 12), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.11.gz to /var/log/testlog.12.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 11), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.10.gz to /var/log/testlog.11.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 10), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.9.gz to /var/log/testlog.10.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 9), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.8.gz to /var/log/testlog.9.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 8), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.7.gz to /var/log/testlog.8.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 7), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.6.gz to /var/log/testlog.7.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 6), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.5.gz to /var/log/testlog.6.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 5), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.4.gz to /var/log/testlog.5.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 4), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.3.gz to /var/log/testlog.4.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 3), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.2.gz to /var/log/testlog.3.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 2), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.1.gz to /var/log/testlog.2.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 1), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.0.gz to /var/log/testlog.1.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 0), 
renaming /var/log/testlog to /var/log/testlog.1
removing old log /var/log/testlog.16.gz
error: error opening /var/log/testlog.16.gz: No such file or directory

Verbose Output:

rotating pattern: /var/log/testlog  1073741824 bytes (15 rotations)
empty log files are not rotated, old logs are removed
considering log /var/log/testlog
  log needs rotating
rotating log /var/log/testlog, log->rotateCount is 15
dateext suffix '-20140625'
glob pattern '-[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]'
compressing log with: /bin/gzip
renaming /var/log/testlog.15.gz to /var/log/testlog.16.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 15), 
old log /var/log/testlog.15.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.14.gz to /var/log/testlog.15.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 14), 
old log /var/log/testlog.14.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.13.gz to /var/log/testlog.14.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 13), 
old log /var/log/testlog.13.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.12.gz to /var/log/testlog.13.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 12), 
old log /var/log/testlog.12.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.11.gz to /var/log/testlog.12.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 11), 
old log /var/log/testlog.11.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.10.gz to /var/log/testlog.11.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 10), 
old log /var/log/testlog.10.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.9.gz to /var/log/testlog.10.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 9), 
old log /var/log/testlog.9.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.8.gz to /var/log/testlog.9.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 8), 
old log /var/log/testlog.8.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.7.gz to /var/log/testlog.8.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 7), 
old log /var/log/testlog.7.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.6.gz to /var/log/testlog.7.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 6), 
old log /var/log/testlog.6.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.5.gz to /var/log/testlog.6.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 5), 
old log /var/log/testlog.5.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.4.gz to /var/log/testlog.5.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 4), 
old log /var/log/testlog.4.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.3.gz to /var/log/testlog.4.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 3), 
old log /var/log/testlog.3.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.2.gz to /var/log/testlog.3.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 2), 
old log /var/log/testlog.2.gz does not exist
renaming /var/log/testlog.1.gz to /var/log/testlog.2.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 1), 
renaming /var/log/testlog.0.gz to /var/log/testlog.1.gz (rotatecount 15, logstart 1, i 0), 
old log /var/log/testlog.0.gz does not exist
log /var/log/testlog.16.gz doesn't exist -- won't try to dispose of it
renaming /var/log/testlog to /var/log/testlog.1

Output of ls /var/log/testlog* :

/var/log/testlog  
/var/log/testlog.1  
/var/log/testlog.2.gz

Can somebody please provide me some hint to resolve this issue?

Thanks

Answer 1

I go out on a limp here, but the manpage states

-d, --debug
Turns on debug mode and implies -v. In debug mode, no changes will be made to the logs or to the logrotate state file. 

So logrotate doesn't do anything. It just writes out what it would do. If you want verbose output, supply -v, not -d as option.

Edit: The fact that logrotate puts out messages like

 log /var/log/testlog.16.gz doesn't exist -- won't try to dispose of it

is nothing to be concerned about. In fact, it is expected behaviour! The verbose output shows you exactly what it's doing. It tries to increment the version numbers beginning with the oldest file testlog.15.gz which doesn't exist yet. It will, once 15 rotations have been performed. It's not an error. That goes on until finally testlog.1.gz does exist and is renamed to testlog.2.gz

Since you specified

start 1 

testlog.0.gz is again not there, but nevertheless: testlog is moved to testlog.1 (without compression, because of delaycompress)

In the end it tries to dispose of the 16th log file, since

rotate 15

was given. The file is not there (again: yet), but that should not matter to either you, or the program. The directory listing shows that it did precisely what i was told. As the logs are rotated repeatedly, the "missing" files will show up and the messages will subside.

After all you are running the program in verbose mode, so you should expect output like this.