diff --git a/db/cmdline.cpp b/db/cmdline.cpp
index 638253edcd3f0..012451cb64369 100644
--- a/db/cmdline.cpp
+++ b/db/cmdline.cpp
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ namespace mongo {
         ("nounixsocket", "disable listening on unix sockets")
         ("unixSocketPrefix", po::value<string>(), "alternative directory for UNIX domain sockets (defaults to /tmp)")
         ("fork" , "fork server process" )
+        ("syslog" , "log to system's syslog facility instead of file or stdout" )
 #endif
         ;
         
@@ -269,13 +270,12 @@ namespace mongo {
 
         if (params.count("fork")) {
             cmdLine.doFork = true;
-
-            if ( ! params.count( "logpath" ) ) {
-                cout << "--fork has to be used with --logpath" << endl;
+            if ( ! params.count( "logpath" ) && ! params.count( "syslog" ) ) {
+                cout << "--fork has to be used with --logpath or --syslog" << endl;
                 ::exit(-1);
             }
 
-            {
+            if ( params.count( "logpath" ) ) {
                 // test logpath
                 logpath = params["logpath"].as<string>();
                 assert( logpath.size() );
@@ -357,9 +357,19 @@ namespace mongo {
             setupCoreSignals();
             setupSignals( true );
         }
-
+        
+        if (params.count("syslog")) {
+            StringBuilder sb(128);
+            sb << cmdLine.binaryName << "." << cmdLine.port;
+            Logstream::useSyslog( sb.str().c_str() );
+        }
 #endif
         if (params.count("logpath")) {
+            if ( params.count("syslog") ) {
+                cout << "Cant use both a logpath and syslog " << endl;
+                ::exit(-1);
+            }
+            
             if ( logpath.size() == 0 )
                 logpath = params["logpath"].as<string>();
             uassert( 10033 ,  "logpath has to be non-zero" , logpath.size() );
diff --git a/s/server.cpp b/s/server.cpp
index 25494f1a09ac8..88f89fd86212a 100644
--- a/s/server.cpp
+++ b/s/server.cpp
@@ -179,10 +179,16 @@ namespace mongo {
         return 0;
     }
 
-    void printShardingVersionInfo() {
-        log() << mongosCommand << " " << mongodVersion() << " starting (--help for usage)" << endl;
-        printGitVersion();
-        printSysInfo();
+    void printShardingVersionInfo(bool out) {
+        if (out) {
+          cout << mongosCommand << " " << mongodVersion() << " starting (--help for usage)" << endl;
+          cout << "git version: " << gitVersion() << endl;
+          cout <<  "build sys info: " << sysInfo() << endl;
+        } else {
+          log() << mongosCommand << " " << mongodVersion() << " starting (--help for usage)" << endl;
+          printGitVersion();
+          printSysInfo();
+        }
     }
 
     void cloudCmdLineParamIs(string cmd);
@@ -232,7 +238,7 @@ int _main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
     }
 
     if ( params.count( "version" ) ) {
-        printShardingVersionInfo();
+        printShardingVersionInfo(true);
         return 0;
     }
 
@@ -331,7 +337,7 @@ int _main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
         return 1;
     }
 
-    printShardingVersionInfo();
+    printShardingVersionInfo(false);
 
     if ( ! configServer.init( configdbs ) ) {
         cout << "couldn't resolve config db address" << endl;
diff --git a/util/log.cpp b/util/log.cpp
index 51f59be239bd1..9e18609a07a1c 100644
--- a/util/log.cpp
+++ b/util/log.cpp
@@ -153,5 +153,6 @@ namespace mongo {
 
     // done *before* static initialization
     FILE* Logstream::logfile = stdout;
+    bool Logstream::isSyslog = false;
 
 }
diff --git a/util/log.h b/util/log.h
index fa2f6122697d0..bfd782602e708 100644
--- a/util/log.h
+++ b/util/log.h
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 #include "../bson/util/builder.h"
 
 #ifndef _WIN32
-//#include <syslog.h>
+#include <syslog.h>
 #endif
 
 namespace mongo {
@@ -45,6 +45,27 @@ namespace mongo {
             return "UNKNOWN";
         }
     }
+    
+#ifndef _WIN32
+    inline const int logLevelToSysLogLevel( LogLevel l) {
+        switch ( l ) {
+        case LL_DEBUG:
+            return LOG_DEBUG;
+        case LL_INFO:
+            return LOG_INFO;
+        case LL_NOTICE:
+            return LOG_NOTICE;
+        case LL_WARNING:
+            return LOG_WARNING;
+        case LL_ERROR:
+            return LOG_ERR;
+        case LL_SEVERE:
+            return LOG_CRIT;
+        default:
+            return LL_INFO;
+        }
+    }
+#endif
 
     class LabeledLevel {
     public:
@@ -203,6 +224,7 @@ namespace mongo {
         static FILE* logfile;
         static boost::scoped_ptr<ostream> stream;
         static vector<Tee*> * globalTees;
+        static bool isSyslog;
     public:
         inline static void logLockless( const StringData& s );
 
@@ -210,7 +232,20 @@ namespace mongo {
             scoped_lock lk(mutex);
             logfile = f;
         }
+#ifndef _WIN32
+        static void useSyslog(const char * name) {
+            cout << "using syslog ident: " << name << endl;
+            
+            // openlog requires heap allocated non changing pointer
+            // this should only be called once per pragram execution
 
+            char * newName = (char *) malloc( strlen(name) + 1 );
+            strcpy( newName , name);
+            openlog( newName , LOG_ODELAY , LOG_USER );
+            isSyslog = true;
+        }
+#endif
+        
         static int magicNumber() {
             return 1717;
         }
@@ -442,6 +477,11 @@ namespace mongo {
             return;
 
         if ( doneSetup == 1717 ) {
+#ifndef _WIN32
+            if ( isSyslog ) {
+                syslog( LOG_INFO , "%s" , s.data() );
+            } else
+#endif
             if (fwrite(s.data(), s.size(), 1, logfile)) {
                 fflush(logfile);
             }
@@ -496,9 +536,10 @@ namespace mongo {
                 for ( unsigned i=0; i<globalTees->size(); i++ )
                     (*globalTees)[i]->write(logLevel,out);
             }
-
 #ifndef _WIN32
-            //syslog( LOG_INFO , "%s" , cc );
+            if ( useSyslog ) {
+                syslog( logLevelToSysLogLevel(logLevel) , "%s" , out.data() );
+            } else
 #endif
             if(fwrite(out.data(), out.size(), 1, logfile)) {
                 fflush(logfile);
@@ -507,12 +548,10 @@ namespace mongo {
                 int x = errno;
                 cout << "Failed to write to logfile: " << errnoWithDescription(x) << ": " << out << endl;
             }
-
 #ifdef POSIX_FADV_DONTNEED
             // This only applies to pages that have already been flushed
             RARELY posix_fadvise(fileno(logfile), 0, 0, POSIX_FADV_DONTNEED);
 #endif
-
         }
         _init();
     }