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
       filesystem.   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 database formats.  However, old versions of locate and find  produce
       incorrect 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 database.  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 updat-
              edb  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 /var/lib/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 nobody.  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 slocate 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://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=findutils.  The reason for this  is  that  you  will
       then  be able to track progress in fixing the problem.   Other comments 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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