UPDATEDB(1)                 General Commands Manual                UPDATEDB(1)



NAME
       updatedb - update a file name database

SYNOPSIS
       updatedb [options]

DESCRIPTION
       This  manual  page documents the GNU version of updatedb, which updates
       file name databases used by GNU locate.  The file name  databases  con-
       tain  lists  of  files that were in particular directory trees when the
       databases were last updated.  The file name of the default database  is
       determined  when locate and updatedb are configured and installed.  The
       frequency with which the databases are updated and the directories  for
       which  they  contain  entries  depend on how often updatedb is run, and
       with which arguments.

       In networked environments, it often makes sense to build a database  at
       the  root  of each filesystem, containing the entries for that filesys-
       tem.  updatedb is then run for each filesystem on the fileserver  where
       that  filesystem  is on a local disk, to prevent thrashing the network.
       Users can select which databases locate searches using  an  environment
       variable  or  command line option; see locate(1).  Databases can not be
       concatenated together.

       The file name database format changed starting with GNU find and locate
       version  4.0  to  allow machines with different byte orderings to share
       the databases.  The new GNU locate can read both the old and new  data-
       base  formats.  However, old versions of locate and find produce incor-
       rect results if given a new-format database.

OPTIONS
       --findoptions='-option1 -option2...'
              Global options to pass on to  find.   The  environment  variable
              FINDOPTIONS also sets this value.  Default is none.

       --localpaths='path1 path2...'
              Non-network directories to put in the database.  Default is /.

       --netpaths='path1 path2...'
              Network  (NFS,  AFS,  RFS, etc.) directories to put in the data-
              base.  The environment variable NETPATHS also sets  this  value.
              Default is none.

       --prunepaths='path1 path2...'
              Directories  to  not  put in the database, which would otherwise
              be.  Remove any trailing slashes from the path names,  otherwise
              updatedb  won't recognise the paths you want to omit (because it
              uses them as  regular  expression  patterns).   The  environment
              variable  PRUNEPATHS  also  sets  this  value.   Default is /tmp
              /usr/tmp /var/tmp /afs.

       --prunefs='path...'
              File systems to not put in the database, which  would  otherwise
              be.   Note  that files are pruned when a file system is reached;
              any file system mounted under an undesired file system  will  be
              ignored.  The environment variable PRUNEFS also sets this value.
              Default is nfs NFS proc.

       --output=dbfile
              The database file to build.  Default  is  system-dependent.   In
              Debian GNU/Linux, the default is /var/cache/locate/locatedb.

       --localuser=user
              The  user  to  search  non-network  directories as, using su(1).
              Default is to search the non-network directories as the  current
              user.   You  can  also use the environment variable LOCALUSER to
              set this user.

       --netuser=user
              The user to search network directories as, using su(1).  Default
              is daemon.  You can also use the environment variable NETUSER to
              set this user.

       --old-format
              Create the database in the old format.  This is  a  synonym  for
              --dbformat=old.

       --dbformat=F
              Create  the  database in format F.  The default format is called
              LOCATE02.  F can be old to select the old database format  (this
              is the same as specifying --old-format).  Alternatively the slo-
              cate format is also supported.  When the slocate  format  is  in
              use, the database produced is marked as having security level 1.
              If you want to build a system-wide  slocate  database,  you  may
              want to run updatedb as root.

       --version
              Print the version number of updatedb and exit.

       --help Print a summary of the options to updatedb and exit.

SEE ALSO
       find(1),  locate(1),  locatedb(5),  xargs(1)  Finding Files (on-line in
       Info, or printed)

BUGS
       The updatedb program correctly handles filenames  containing  newlines,
       but  only if the system's sort command has a working -z option.  If you
       suspect that locate may need to return filenames  containing  newlines,
       consider using its --null option.

       The  best  way  to  report  a  bug  is to use the form at http://savan-
       nah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=findutils.  The reason for  this  is  that  you
       will then be able to track progress in fixing the problem.   Other com-
       ments about updatedb(1) and about the findutils package in general  can
       be  sent  to  the  bug-findutils  mailing list.  To join the list, send
       email to bug-findutils-request@gnu.org.



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