22.1. System Management Protocols

These protocols are used to manage devices on the network, either by simply conveying information about their status or by actually controlling remote devices.

22.1.1. syslog

syslog is used to manage log messages in a centralized way. syslog got its start as a way of centrally recording messages for a set of Unix machines, but many network devices (routers, hubs, etc.) now use syslog to report status and usage information. Such devices often don't even have a way to record this information locally, because they don't have any writable storage media; if you want to know what they're reporting, something has to be listening to their syslog messages.