I've always rotated my logs without ever starting apache.  I just do 
something like this.

cp access_log $date_access_log
echo > access_log
gzip $date_access_log

It's possible to lose a line or 2 of logging, but if that's ok, this is 
what I've done.

Robert Zajda wrote:
quoted text
> It's hosting server so restarting apache is bad idea.
> 
> On 5/15/07, John Mendenhall <john@surfutopia.net> wrote:
>> > If you don't mind a second or two of down time then you can use
>> > something like this in newsyslog.conf as a restart command:
>> >
>> > "apachectl stop;sleep 1;apachctl start;sleep 10;apachectl start"
>> >
>> > The first sleep gives apache a second to finish active requests before
>> > trying to start again.  The second sleep and start is to catch the case
>> > where the first start fails because apache is still running.
>>
>> I have a script which does the following:
>>
>> + rotates logs
>> + calls apachectl stop (twice, with sleep 2 after each call)
>> + calls apachectl stop and greps the output to make sure it is stopped
>>   (looks for 'not running')
>> + if I don't find not running, pages me
>> + run apachectl startssl
>>
>> This is all in a wrapper script which then calls awstats
>> after a successful rotate and restart.
>>
>> Works for us.
>>
>> JohnM
>>
>> -- 
>> john mendenhall
>> john@surfutopia.net
>> surf utopia
>> internet services
> 


-- 
Alex Thurlow
Technical Director
Blastro Networks

email: alex@blastro.com
office: 512-485-3148
mobile: 512-762-5814