/var/log/message problem

[daisy]

Hello everyone.
 
I would appreciate help with my /var/log/message file.  It is no longer logging anything.
 
Background of the problem: Previously the message logs worked without problem. When the log file grew to a certain size it would create an archive /log/var/message.1 file and create a brand new and empty /log/var/message file.  For some reason, however, one day the log file archives were no longer being created and the message file just grew and grew.  When my RedHat Linux system began to slow and lag, I thought that the /var/log/message file, which by then was very large, was the problem.  I decided to do a temporary fix until I could get expert advice on how to get the system to create archives and new message files automatically.
 
What I tried:  I manually copied the /var/log/message file and renamed it /var/log/message.1.
I also manually created a /var/log/message file.  This did not work.  No messages were logged at all.  I then renamed one of the older archive files that were still of managable size as /var/log/message.  Still no luck.  
 
Advice I am hoping for:   
1.  How to fix my /var/log/message file so that it will log necessary warnings. Why did creating a blank /var/log/message file cause the sytem to not log anything? Is the file a special binary file?
2.  Why did the system stop updating and archiving the /var/log/message file in the first place.
 
Thanks for any advice in advance.  As you can probably tell, I am still at beginner level. I hope I explained the situation well enough.
 
daisy
 


		
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