Server operations · Lesson 11 of 36 · 7 minutes

Log disk review

Estimate simulated log size and list log files.

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Your objectives

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1
Size logs
Run du -sh /var/log.
Hint & worked example
Estimate usage attributed to files or directories; compare it with filesystem capacity when investigating storage.
The command outcome must match the task, including successful access or the explicitly requested failure.
```
du -sh /var/log
```
Remember: du describes file usage, whereas df describes filesystem capacity.
2
Find logs
Run find /var/log -name log.
Hint & worked example
Search directory trees by criteria rather than relying on one shallow listing.
The command outcome must match the task, including successful access or the explicitly requested failure.
```
find /var/log -name log
```
Remember: Quote wildcard patterns so find receives them instead of the shell expanding them first.
3
Tail access log
Run tail -n 2 /var/log/nginx-access.log.
Hint & worked example
Show the end of an input; -n selects the number of lines.
The command outcome must match the task, including successful access or the explicitly requested failure.
```
tail -n 2 /var/log/nginx-access.log
```
Remember: This browser lab snapshots output; it does not keep a live tail -f stream.

Understand the pattern

Deleting logs blindly can erase useful diagnostic data.

du: Estimate usage attributed to files or directories; compare it with filesystem capacity when investigating storage.
du describes file usage, whereas df describes filesystem capacity.
find: Search directory trees by criteria rather than relying on one shallow listing.
Quote wildcard patterns so find receives them instead of the shell expanding them first.
tail: Show the end of an input; -n selects the number of lines.
This browser lab snapshots output; it does not keep a live tail -f stream.

Worked example and expected result

$ du -sh /var/log

3K	/var/log

Exit status: 0. The command completed successfully in the training fixture.

$ find /var/log -name log

/var/log
/var/log/auth.log
/var/log/cron.log
/var/log/dpkg.log
/var/log/journal/backup.log
/var/log/journal/nginx.log
/var/log/journal/ssh.log
/var/log/kern.log
/var/log/nginx-access.log
/var/log/nginx-access.log.1
/var/log/nginx-error.log
/var/log/nginx-error.log.1
/var/log/syslog

Exit status: 0. The command completed successfully in the training fixture.

$ tail -n 2 /var/log/nginx-access.log

127.0.0.1 GET /api/test 404
127.0.0.1 POST / 405

Exit status: 0. The command completed successfully in the training fixture.

Try a variation

Repeat this workflow in the sandbox with a different scratch filename. Keep the system fixtures unchanged and compare the observed output with your expectation before moving on.

Explain it

In “Log disk review”, which interpretation is safe?Quote wildcard patterns so find receives them instead of the shell expanding them first.A command appearing in history proves it completed successfully.A successful first check guarantees that every dependent service is healthy.

Apply it elsewhere

Before adapting the find workflow from “Log disk review” to another server, what should you do?Paste the training paths unchanged into production.Skip output inspection whenever the command is familiar.Confirm the current directory, target identity, permissions, and the installed command behavior first.

Keep the momentum.

Complete the lab, then explain and apply the pattern.

Next: Deploy script review Try an incident drill

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