diff --git a/lib/eal/common/eal_common_options.c b/lib/eal/common/eal_common_options.c
index 5435399b85..661b2db211 100644
--- a/lib/eal/common/eal_common_options.c
+++ b/lib/eal/common/eal_common_options.c
@@ -6,9 +6,6 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <pthread.h>
-#ifndef RTE_EXEC_ENV_WINDOWS
-#include <syslog.h>
-#endif
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <errno.h>
@@ -349,10 +346,6 @@ eal_reset_internal_config(struct internal_config *internal_cfg)
 	}
 	internal_cfg->base_virtaddr = 0;
 
-#ifdef LOG_DAEMON
-	internal_cfg->syslog_facility = LOG_DAEMON;
-#endif
-
 	/* if set to NONE, interrupt mode is determined automatically */
 	internal_cfg->vfio_intr_mode = RTE_INTR_MODE_NONE;
 	memset(internal_cfg->vfio_vf_token, 0,
@@ -1297,47 +1290,6 @@ eal_parse_lcores(const char *lcores)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-#ifndef RTE_EXEC_ENV_WINDOWS
-static int
-eal_parse_syslog(const char *facility, struct internal_config *conf)
-{
-	int i;
-	static const struct {
-		const char *name;
-		int value;
-	} map[] = {
-		{ "auth", LOG_AUTH },
-		{ "cron", LOG_CRON },
-		{ "daemon", LOG_DAEMON },
-		{ "ftp", LOG_FTP },
-		{ "kern", LOG_KERN },
-		{ "lpr", LOG_LPR },
-		{ "mail", LOG_MAIL },
-		{ "news", LOG_NEWS },
-		{ "syslog", LOG_SYSLOG },
-		{ "user", LOG_USER },
-		{ "uucp", LOG_UUCP },
-		{ "local0", LOG_LOCAL0 },
-		{ "local1", LOG_LOCAL1 },
-		{ "local2", LOG_LOCAL2 },
-		{ "local3", LOG_LOCAL3 },
-		{ "local4", LOG_LOCAL4 },
-		{ "local5", LOG_LOCAL5 },
-		{ "local6", LOG_LOCAL6 },
-		{ "local7", LOG_LOCAL7 },
-		{ NULL, 0 }
-	};
-
-	for (i = 0; map[i].name; i++) {
-		if (!strcmp(facility, map[i].name)) {
-			conf->syslog_facility = map[i].value;
-			return 0;
-		}
-	}
-	return -1;
-}
-#endif
-
 static void
 eal_log_usage(void)
 {
@@ -1663,6 +1615,7 @@ eal_log_level_parse(int argc, char * const argv[])
 
 		switch (opt) {
 		case OPT_LOG_LEVEL_NUM:
+		case OPT_SYSLOG_NUM:
 			if (eal_parse_common_option(opt, optarg, internal_conf) < 0)
 				return -1;
 			break;
@@ -1882,7 +1835,7 @@ eal_parse_common_option(int opt, const char *optarg,
 
 #ifndef RTE_EXEC_ENV_WINDOWS
 	case OPT_SYSLOG_NUM:
-		if (eal_parse_syslog(optarg, conf) < 0) {
+		if (eal_log_syslog(optarg) < 0) {
 			EAL_LOG(ERR, "invalid parameters for --"
 					OPT_SYSLOG);
 			return -1;
diff --git a/lib/eal/freebsd/eal.c b/lib/eal/freebsd/eal.c
index 17b56f38aa..6552f9c138 100644
--- a/lib/eal/freebsd/eal.c
+++ b/lib/eal/freebsd/eal.c
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@
 #include <stdarg.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <pthread.h>
-#include <syslog.h>
 #include <getopt.h>
 #include <sys/file.h>
 #include <stddef.h>
@@ -392,8 +391,8 @@ eal_parse_args(int argc, char **argv)
 			goto out;
 		}
 
-		/* eal_log_level_parse() already handled this option */
-		if (opt == OPT_LOG_LEVEL_NUM)
+		/* eal_log_level_parse() already handled these */
+		if (opt == OPT_LOG_LEVEL_NUM || opt == OPT_LOG_SYSLOG_NUM)
 			continue;
 
 		ret = eal_parse_common_option(opt, optarg, internal_conf);
diff --git a/lib/eal/linux/eal.c b/lib/eal/linux/eal.c
index 23dc26b124..3d0c34063e 100644
--- a/lib/eal/linux/eal.c
+++ b/lib/eal/linux/eal.c
@@ -610,8 +610,8 @@ eal_parse_args(int argc, char **argv)
 			goto out;
 		}
 
-		/* eal_log_level_parse() already handled this option */
-		if (opt == OPT_LOG_LEVEL_NUM)
+		/* eal_log_level_parse() already handled these options */
+		if (opt == OPT_LOG_LEVEL_NUM || opt == OPT_SYSLOG_NUM)
 			continue;
 
 		ret = eal_parse_common_option(opt, optarg, internal_conf);
@@ -1106,8 +1106,7 @@ rte_eal_init(int argc, char **argv)
 #endif
 	}
 
-	if (eal_log_init(program_invocation_short_name,
-			 internal_conf->syslog_facility) < 0) {
+	if (eal_log_init(program_invocation_short_name) < 0) {
 		rte_eal_init_alert("Cannot init logging.");
 		rte_errno = ENOMEM;
 		rte_atomic_store_explicit(&run_once, 0, rte_memory_order_relaxed);
diff --git a/lib/eal/windows/eal.c b/lib/eal/windows/eal.c
index 85171b2768..2519a30017 100644
--- a/lib/eal/windows/eal.c
+++ b/lib/eal/windows/eal.c
@@ -120,8 +120,8 @@ eal_parse_args(int argc, char **argv)
 			return -1;
 		}
 
-		/* eal_log_level_parse() already handled this option */
-		if (opt == OPT_LOG_LEVEL_NUM)
+		/* eal_log_level_parse() already handled these options */
+		if (opt == OPT_LOG_LEVEL_NUM || opt == OPT_SYSLOG_NUM)
 			continue;
 
 		ret = eal_parse_common_option(opt, optarg, internal_conf);
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ rte_eal_init(int argc, char **argv)
 	char cpuset[RTE_CPU_AFFINITY_STR_LEN];
 	char thread_name[RTE_THREAD_NAME_SIZE];
 
-	eal_log_init(NULL, 0);
+	eal_log_init(NULL);
 
 	eal_log_level_parse(argc, argv);
 
diff --git a/lib/log/log_freebsd.c b/lib/log/log_freebsd.c
index 698d3c5423..953e371bee 100644
--- a/lib/log/log_freebsd.c
+++ b/lib/log/log_freebsd.c
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 #include "log_internal.h"
 
 int
-eal_log_init(__rte_unused const char *id, __rte_unused int facility)
+eal_log_init(__rte_unused const char *id)
 {
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/lib/log/log_internal.h b/lib/log/log_internal.h
index 451629f1c1..cb15cdff08 100644
--- a/lib/log/log_internal.h
+++ b/lib/log/log_internal.h
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
  * Initialize the default log stream.
  */
 __rte_internal
-int eal_log_init(const char *id, int facility);
+int eal_log_init(const char *id);
 
 /*
  * Determine where log data is written when no call to rte_openlog_stream.
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ int eal_log_save_regexp(const char *regexp, uint32_t level);
 __rte_internal
 int eal_log_save_pattern(const char *pattern, uint32_t level);
 
+__rte_internal
+int eal_log_syslog(const char *name);
+
 /*
  * Convert log level to string.
  */
diff --git a/lib/log/log_linux.c b/lib/log/log_linux.c
index 2dfb0c974b..47aa074da2 100644
--- a/lib/log/log_linux.c
+++ b/lib/log/log_linux.c
@@ -3,13 +3,56 @@
  */
 
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <string.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 #include <syslog.h>
 
+#include <rte_common.h>
 #include <rte_log.h>
 
 #include "log_internal.h"
 
+static int log_facility = LOG_DAEMON;
+
+static const struct {
+	const char *name;
+	int value;
+} facilitys[] = {
+	{ "auth", LOG_AUTH },
+	{ "cron", LOG_CRON },
+	{ "daemon", LOG_DAEMON },
+	{ "ftp", LOG_FTP },
+	{ "kern", LOG_KERN },
+	{ "lpr", LOG_LPR },
+	{ "mail", LOG_MAIL },
+	{ "news", LOG_NEWS },
+	{ "syslog", LOG_SYSLOG },
+	{ "user", LOG_USER },
+	{ "uucp", LOG_UUCP },
+	{ "local0", LOG_LOCAL0 },
+	{ "local1", LOG_LOCAL1 },
+	{ "local2", LOG_LOCAL2 },
+	{ "local3", LOG_LOCAL3 },
+	{ "local4", LOG_LOCAL4 },
+	{ "local5", LOG_LOCAL5 },
+	{ "local6", LOG_LOCAL6 },
+	{ "local7", LOG_LOCAL7 },
+};
+
+int
+eal_log_syslog(const char *name)
+{
+	unsigned int i;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < RTE_DIM(facilitys); i++) {
+		if (!strcmp(name, facilitys[i].name)) {
+			log_facility = facilitys[i].value;
+			return 0;
+		}
+	}
+	return -1;
+}
+
 /*
  * default log function
  */
@@ -45,7 +88,7 @@ static cookie_io_functions_t console_log_func = {
  * once memzones are available.
  */
 int
-eal_log_init(const char *id, int facility)
+eal_log_init(const char *id)
 {
 	FILE *log_stream;
 
@@ -53,7 +96,7 @@ eal_log_init(const char *id, int facility)
 	if (log_stream == NULL)
 		return -1;
 
-	openlog(id, LOG_NDELAY | LOG_PID, facility);
+	openlog(id, LOG_NDELAY | LOG_PID, log_facility);
 
 	eal_log_set_default(log_stream);
 
diff --git a/lib/log/log_windows.c b/lib/log/log_windows.c
index a6a0889550..a3a756351d 100644
--- a/lib/log/log_windows.c
+++ b/lib/log/log_windows.c
@@ -6,9 +6,15 @@
 #include <rte_log.h>
 #include "log_internal.h"
 
+int
+eal_log_syslog(const char *name __rte_unused)
+{
+	return -1; /* not used */
+}
+
 /* set the log to default function, called during eal init process. */
 int
-eal_log_init(__rte_unused const char *id, __rte_unused int facility)
+eal_log_init(__rte_unused const char *id)
 {
 	rte_openlog_stream(stderr);
 
diff --git a/lib/log/version.map b/lib/log/version.map
index 0648f8831a..9c6c49bf06 100644
--- a/lib/log/version.map
+++ b/lib/log/version.map
@@ -30,5 +30,6 @@ INTERNAL {
 	eal_log_save_pattern;
 	eal_log_save_regexp;
 	eal_log_set_default;
+	eal_log_syslog;
 	rte_eal_log_cleanup;
 };
