plocate/updatedb(8)

1updatedb(8)                 System Manager's Manual                updatedb(8)
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NAME

6       updatedb - update a database for plocate
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SYNOPSIS

10       updatedb [OPTION]...
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DESCRIPTION

14       updatedb creates or updates a database used by locate(1).  If the data‐
15       base already exists, its data is reused to avoid rereading  directories
16       that have not changed.
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18       updatedb is usually run daily from a systemd.timer(8) to update the de‐
19       fault database.
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EXIT STATUS

23       updatedb returns with exit status 0 on success, 1 on error.
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OPTIONS

27       The PRUNE_BIND_MOUNTS, PRUNEFS, PRUNENAMES  and  PRUNEPATHS  variables,
28       which  are modified by some of the options, are documented in detail in
29       updatedb.conf(5).
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32       -f, --add-prunefs FS
33              Add entries in white-space-separated list FS to PRUNEFS.
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36       -n, --add-prunenames NAMES
37              Add entries in white-space-separated list NAMES to PRUNENAMES.
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40       -e, --add-prunepaths PATHS
41              Add entries in white-space-separated list PATHS to PRUNEPATHS.
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44       -e, --add-single-prunepath PATH
45              Add PATH to PRUNEPATHS. Note that this is currently the only way
46              to add a path with a space in it.
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49       -U, --database-root PATH
50              Store only results of scanning the file system subtree rooted at
51              PATH to the  generated  database.   The  whole  file  system  is
52              scanned by default.
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54              locate(1)  outputs  entries  as  absolute path names which don't
55              contain symbolic links, regardless of the form of PATH.
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58       --debug-pruning
59              Write debugging information about pruning decisions to  standard
60              error output.
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63       -h, --help
64              Write  a summary of the available options to standard output and
65              exit successfully.
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68       -o, --output FILE
69              Write the database to FILE instead of using  the  default  data‐
70              base.
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73       --prune-bind-mounts FLAG
74              Set  PRUNE_BIND_MOUNTS  to  FLAG,  overriding  the configuration
75              file.
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78       --prunefs FS
79              Set PRUNEFS to FS, overriding the configuration file.
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82       --prunenames NAMES
83              Set PRUNENAMES to NAMES, overriding the configuration file.
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86       --prunepaths PATHS
87              Set PRUNEPATHS to PATHS, overriding the configuration file.
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90       -l, --require-visibility FLAG
91              Set the “require file visibility before reporting  it”  flag  in
92              the generated database to FLAG.
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94              If FLAG is 0 or no, or if the database file is readable by "oth‐
95              ers" or it is not owned by plocate, locate(1) outputs the  data‐
96              base  entries  even if the user running locate(1) could not have
97              read the directory necessary to find out the file  described  by
98              the database entry.
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100              If  FLAG is 1 or yes (the default), locate(1) checks the permis‐
101              sions of parent directories of each entry before reporting it to
102              the invoking user.  To make the file existence truly hidden from
103              other users, the database group is set to plocate and the  data‐
104              base  permissions  prohibit  reading the database by users using
105              other means than locate(1), which is set-gid plocate.
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107              Note that the visibility flag is checked only if the database is
108              owned by plocate and it is not readable by "others".
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111       -v, --verbose
112              Output  path  names of files to standard output, as soon as they
113              are found.
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116       -V, --version
117              Write information about the version and  license  of  locate  on
118              standard output and exit successfully.
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EXAMPLES

122       To create a private plocate database as a user other than root, run
123              updatedb -l 0 -o db_file -U source_directory
124       Note  that all users that can read db_file can get the complete list of
125       files in the subtree of source_directory.
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FILES

129       /etc/updatedb.conf
130              A configuration file.  See updatedb.conf(5).  Uses  exactly  the
131              same  format  as  the one used by mlocate(1)'s updatedb, so they
132              can be shared.
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135       /var/lib/plocate/plocate.db
136              The database updated by default.
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SECURITY

140       Databases built with --require-visibility no allow users to find  names
141       of files and directories of other users, which they would not otherwise
142       be able to do.
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AUTHOR

146       Miloslav Trmac <mitr@redhat.com>
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148       Steinar H. Gunderson <steinar+plocate@gunderson.no>
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