Which of the following entries in /etc/syslog.conf writes all mail related events to the file /var/log/ and sends all critical events to the remote server logger.example.com? maillog

Question

Options

• Amail.*
• Bmail.*
• Cmail
• Dmail.*
• Email *

• A
  16% (10)
• B
  8% (5)
• C
  5% (3)
• D
  70% (45)
• E
  2% (1)

Explanation

Option D is correct because a valid /etc/syslog.conf entry requires the facility.severity selector format using a dot separator, and remote logging requires the @ prefix before the hostname - D uses mail.* (all mail facility events at every severity) pointing to /var/log/maillog, and *.crit pointing to @logger.example.com, satisfying both requirements.

Why the distractors fail:

• A & B appear to match the selector syntax but are missing either the @ prefix for remote delivery or have an incorrect destination path - without @, syslog treats the target as a local file, not a remote host.
• C (mail alone) omits the required severity component entirely - the facility.severity format is mandatory; a bare facility name is a syntax error.
• E (mail *) uses a space instead of a dot between facility and severity, which is invalid syslog.conf syntax - the dot is the required delimiter.

Memory tip: Think "dot for local, @ for remote" - mail.* is your selector (dot joins facility and severity), and @hostname routes to a remote syslog server. If you see a space between facility and severity, or a missing @ before a hostname destination, it's wrong.

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