files that grow like topsy

[Charles Hallenbeck]

I have been concerned about some files in Linux which appear to
grow and are never automatically shrunk, such as
/var/log/messages and /var/log/wtmp. I have made a crontab entry
that empties the messages file once a month, but I am wondering
if anyone knows whether it is safe to do the same for wtmp. Right
now that file is over 5 MB in size on my system and contains a
record of all my logins. I could just zap it and see what happens
I guess, but I wonder if someone wiser than I can tell me ahead
of time what would happen and maybe save me some grief.

Thanks - Chuck


Visit me now at http://www.valstar.net/~hallenbeck
The Moon is Waxing Crescent (4% of Full)