diff --git a/arch/arm/src/common/up_initialize.c b/arch/arm/src/common/up_initialize.c
index a58e2a9ddd..6e67239c80 100644
--- a/arch/arm/src/common/up_initialize.c
+++ b/arch/arm/src/common/up_initialize.c
@@ -246,9 +246,12 @@ void up_initialize(void)
   up_rnginitialize();
 #endif
 
-  /* Initialize the system logging device */
+  /* Early initialization of the system logging device.  Some SYSLOG channel
+   * can be initialized early in the initialization sequence because they
+   * depend on only minimal OS initialization.
+   */
 
-  syslog_initialize();
+  syslog_initialize(SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY);
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_NETDEV_LATEINIT
   /* Initialize the network */
diff --git a/arch/avr/src/common/up_initialize.c b/arch/avr/src/common/up_initialize.c
index 5a650957b8..d17ea35808 100644
--- a/arch/avr/src/common/up_initialize.c
+++ b/arch/avr/src/common/up_initialize.c
@@ -258,9 +258,12 @@ void up_initialize(void)
   ramlog_consoleinit();
 #endif
 
-  /* Initialize the system logging device */
+  /* Early initialization of the system logging device.  Some SYSLOG channel
+   * can be initialized early in the initialization sequence because they
+   * depend on only minimal OS initialization.
+   */
 
-  syslog_initialize();
+  syslog_initialize(SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY);
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_NETDEV_LATEINIT
   /* Initialize the network */
diff --git a/arch/hc/src/common/up_initialize.c b/arch/hc/src/common/up_initialize.c
index dfa15d6872..44f05aff49 100644
--- a/arch/hc/src/common/up_initialize.c
+++ b/arch/hc/src/common/up_initialize.c
@@ -184,9 +184,12 @@ void up_initialize(void)
   ramlog_consoleinit();
 #endif
 
-  /* Initialize the system logging device */
+  /* Early initialization of the system logging device.  Some SYSLOG channel
+   * can be initialized early in the initialization sequence because they
+   * depend on only minimal OS initialization.
+   */
 
-  syslog_initialize();
+  syslog_initialize(SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY);
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_NETDEV_LATEINIT
   /* Initialize the network */
diff --git a/arch/mips/src/common/up_initialize.c b/arch/mips/src/common/up_initialize.c
index 927bd5fcef..16b842099e 100644
--- a/arch/mips/src/common/up_initialize.c
+++ b/arch/mips/src/common/up_initialize.c
@@ -186,9 +186,12 @@ void up_initialize(void)
   ramlog_consoleinit();
 #endif
 
-  /* Initialize the system logging device */
+  /* Early initialization of the system logging device.  Some SYSLOG channel
+   * can be initialized early in the initialization sequence because they
+   * depend on only minimal OS initialization.
+   */
 
-  syslog_initialize();
+  syslog_initialize(SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY);
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_NETDEV_LATEINIT
   /* Initialize the network */
diff --git a/arch/sh/src/common/up_initialize.c b/arch/sh/src/common/up_initialize.c
index bdacd41ba9..ab17338af2 100644
--- a/arch/sh/src/common/up_initialize.c
+++ b/arch/sh/src/common/up_initialize.c
@@ -178,9 +178,12 @@ void up_initialize(void)
   ramlog_consoleinit();
 #endif
 
-  /* Initialize the system logging device */
+  /* Early initialization of the system logging device.  Some SYSLOG channel
+   * can be initialized early in the initialization sequence because they
+   * depend on only minimal OS initialization.
+   */
 
-  syslog_initialize();
+  syslog_initialize(SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY);
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_NETDEV_LATEINIT
   /* Initialize the network */
diff --git a/arch/sim/src/up_initialize.c b/arch/sim/src/up_initialize.c
index 445012443e..a4551745ca 100644
--- a/arch/sim/src/up_initialize.c
+++ b/arch/sim/src/up_initialize.c
@@ -168,9 +168,12 @@ void up_initialize(void)
   ramlog_consoleinit();
 #endif
 
-  /* Initialize the system logging device */
+  /* Early initialization of the system logging device.  Some SYSLOG channel
+   * can be initialized early in the initialization sequence because they
+   * depend on only minimal OS initialization.
+   */
 
-  syslog_initialize();
+  syslog_initialize(SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY);
 
 #if defined(CONFIG_FS_FAT) && !defined(CONFIG_DISABLE_MOUNTPOINT)
   up_registerblockdevice(); /* Our FAT ramdisk at /dev/ram0 */
diff --git a/arch/x86/src/common/up_initialize.c b/arch/x86/src/common/up_initialize.c
index 9e0c1ad1c2..7c9078dd5d 100644
--- a/arch/x86/src/common/up_initialize.c
+++ b/arch/x86/src/common/up_initialize.c
@@ -186,9 +186,12 @@ void up_initialize(void)
   ramlog_consoleinit();
 #endif
 
-  /* Initialize the system logging device */
+  /* Early initialization of the system logging device.  Some SYSLOG channel
+   * can be initialized early in the initialization sequence because they
+   * depend on only minimal OS initialization.
+   */
 
-  syslog_initialize();
+  syslog_initialize(SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY);
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_NETDEV_LATEINIT
   /* Initialize the network */
diff --git a/arch/z16/src/common/up_initialize.c b/arch/z16/src/common/up_initialize.c
index efdf975d52..35d93f2594 100644
--- a/arch/z16/src/common/up_initialize.c
+++ b/arch/z16/src/common/up_initialize.c
@@ -186,9 +186,12 @@ void up_initialize(void)
   ramlog_consoleinit();
 #endif
 
-  /* Initialize the system logging device */
+  /* Early initialization of the system logging device.  Some SYSLOG channel
+   * can be initialized early in the initialization sequence because they
+   * depend on only minimal OS initialization.
+   */
 
-  syslog_initialize();
+  syslog_initialize(SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY);
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_NETDEV_LATEINIT
   /* Initialize the network */
diff --git a/arch/z80/src/common/up_initialize.c b/arch/z80/src/common/up_initialize.c
index c1a2137a72..5c64a576e9 100644
--- a/arch/z80/src/common/up_initialize.c
+++ b/arch/z80/src/common/up_initialize.c
@@ -183,9 +183,12 @@ void up_initialize(void)
   ramlog_consoleinit();
 #endif
 
-  /* Initialize the system logging device */
+  /* Early initialization of the system logging device.  Some SYSLOG channel
+   * can be initialized early in the initialization sequence because they
+   * depend on minimal OS initialization.
+   */
 
-  syslog_initialize();
+  syslog_initialize(SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY);
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_NETDEV_LATEINIT
   /* Initialize the network */
diff --git a/drivers/syslog/syslog_initialize.c b/drivers/syslog/syslog_initialize.c
index 9838737623..0cc7a0c688 100644
--- a/drivers/syslog/syslog_initialize.c
+++ b/drivers/syslog/syslog_initialize.c
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
  *   as a minimum a call to syslog_channel() to use the device.
  *
  * Input Parameters:
- *   None
+ *   phase - One of {SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY, SYSLOG_INIT_LATE}
  *
  * Returned Value:
  *   Zero (OK) is returned on success; a negated errno value is returned on
@@ -78,31 +78,33 @@
  *
  ****************************************************************************/
 
-int syslog_initialize(void)
+int syslog_initialize(enum syslog_init_e phase)
 {
-  int ret;
-
-  /* Not much to this yet... more is coming */
+  int ret = OK;
 
 #if defined(CONFIG_SYSLOG_CHAR)
-  /* Enable use of a character device as the SYSLOG device */
+  if (phase == SYSLOG_INIT_LATE)
+    {
+      /* Enable use of a character device as the SYSLOG device */
 
-  ret = syslog_dev_channel();
+      ret = syslog_dev_channel();
+    }
 
 #elif defined(CONFIG_RAMLOG_SYSLOG)
-  /* Use the RAMLOG as the SYSLOG device */
+  if (phase == SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY)
+    {
+      /* Use the RAMLOG as the SYSLOG device */
 
-  ret = ramlog_syslog_channel();
+      ret = ramlog_syslog_channel();
+    }
 
 #elif defined(CONFIG_DEV_CONSOLE)
-  /* Use the console device as the SYSLOG device */
+  if (phase == SYSLOG_INIT_LATE)
+    {
+      /* Use the console device as the SYSLOG device */
 
-  ret = syslog_console_channel();
-
-#else
-  /* Nothing needs to be done */
-
-  ret = 0;
+      ret = syslog_console_channel();
+    }
 
 #endif
 
diff --git a/drivers/syslog/syslog_intbuffer.c b/drivers/syslog/syslog_intbuffer.c
index 8cbda40edf..d7c5674d60 100644
--- a/drivers/syslog/syslog_intbuffer.c
+++ b/drivers/syslog/syslog_intbuffer.c
@@ -335,6 +335,7 @@ int syslog_flush_intbuffer(FAR const struct syslog_channel_s *channel,
     }
   while (ch != EOF && ret >= 0);
 
+  sched_unlock();
   return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/include/nuttx/syslog/syslog.h b/include/nuttx/syslog/syslog.h
index c897a34801..255a6e2f3a 100644
--- a/include/nuttx/syslog/syslog.h
+++ b/include/nuttx/syslog/syslog.h
@@ -93,6 +93,15 @@
  * Public Types
  ****************************************************************************/
 
+/* Initialization phases */
+
+enum syslog_init_e
+{
+  SYSLOG_INIT_RESET = 0, /* Power on SYSLOG initializaton phase */
+  SYSLOG_INIT_EARLY,     /* Early initialization in up_initialize() */
+  SYSLOG_INIT_LATE       /* Late initialization in os_start(). */
+};
+
 /* This structure provides the interface to a SYSLOG device */
 
 typedef CODE int (*syslog_putc_t)(int ch);
@@ -180,9 +189,9 @@ int syslog_channel(FAR const struct syslog_channel_s *channel);
  ****************************************************************************/
 
 #ifndef CONFIG_ARCH_SYSLOG
-int syslog_initialize(void);
+int syslog_initialize(enum syslog_init_e phase);
 #else
-#  define syslog_initialize()
+#  define syslog_initialize(phase)
 #endif
 
 /****************************************************************************
diff --git a/sched/init/os_start.c b/sched/init/os_start.c
index 732b10f578..1a65af1403 100644
--- a/sched/init/os_start.c
+++ b/sched/init/os_start.c
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
 #include  <nuttx/mm/shm.h>
 #include  <nuttx/kmalloc.h>
 #include  <nuttx/sched_note.h>
+#include  <nuttx/syslog/syslog.h>
 #include  <nuttx/init.h>
 
 #include  "sched/sched.h"
@@ -757,7 +758,15 @@ void os_start(void)
       DEBUGVERIFY(group_initialize(&g_idletcb[cpu]));
       g_idletcb[cpu].cmn.group->tg_flags = GROUP_FLAG_NOCLDWAIT;
 #endif
-}
+    }
+
+  /* Start SYSLOG ***********************************************************/
+  /* Late initialization of the system logging device.  Some SYSLOG channel
+   * must be initialized late in the initialization sequence because it may
+   * depend on having IDLE task file structures setup.
+   */
+
+  syslog_initialize(SYSLOG_INIT_LATE);
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_SMP
   /* Start all CPUs *********************************************************/