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

NAME
       updatedb - update a database for mlocate

SYNOPSIS
       updatedb [OPTION]...

DESCRIPTION
       updatedb creates or updates a database used by locate(1).  If the data-
       base already exists, its data is reused to avoid rereading  directories
       that have not changed.
       updatedb  is  usually  run daily by cron(8) to update the default data-
       base.

EXIT STATUS
       updatedb returns with exit status 0 on success, 1 on error.

OPTIONS
       The PRUNE_BIND_MOUNTS, PRUNEFS, PRUNENAMES  and  PRUNEPATHS  variables,
       which  are modified by some of the options, are documented in detail in
       updatedb.conf(5).

       -f, --add-prunefs FS
              Add entries in white-space-separated list FS to PRUNEFS.

       -n, --add-prunenames NAMES
              Add entries in white-space-separated list NAMES to PRUNENAMES.

       -e, --add-prunepaths PATHS
              Add entries in white-space-separated list PATHS to PRUNEPATHS.

       -U, --database-root PATH
              Store only results of scanning the file system subtree rooted at
              PATH  to  the  generated  database.   The  whole  file system is
              scanned by default.
              locate(1) outputs entries as absolute  path  names  which  don't
              contain symbolic links, regardless of the form of PATH.

       --debug-pruning
              Write  debugging information about pruning decisions to standard
              error output.

       -h, --help
              Write a summary of the available options to standard output  and
              exit successfully.

       -o, --output FILE
              Write  the  database  to FILE instead of using the default data-
              base.

       --prune-bind-mounts FLAG
              Set PRUNE_BIND_MOUNTS  to  FLAG,  overriding  the  configuration
              file.

       --prunefs FS
              Set PRUNEFS to FS, overriding the configuration file.

       --prunenames NAMES
              Set PRUNENAMES to NAMES, overriding the configuration file.

       --prunepaths PATHS
              Set PRUNEPATHS to PATHS, overriding the configuration file.

       -l, --require-visibility FLAG
              Set  the  "require  file visibility before reporting it" flag in
              the generated database to FLAG.
              If FLAG is 0 or no, or if the database file is readable by "oth-
              ers"  or it is not owned by slocate, locate(1) outputs the data-
              base entries even if the user running locate(1) could  not  have
              read  the  directory necessary to find out the file described by
              the database entry.
              If FLAG is 1 or yes (the default), locate(1) checks the  permis-
              sions of parent directories of each entry before reporting it to
              the invoking user.  To make the file existence truly hidden from
              other  users, the database group is set to slocate and the data-
              base permissions prohibit reading the database  by  users  using
              other means than locate(1), which is set-gid slocate.
              Note that the visibility flag is checked only if the database is
              owned by slocate and it is not readable by "others".

       -v, --verbose
              Output path names of files to standard output, as soon  as  they
              are found.

       -V, --version
              Write  information  about  the  version and license of locate on
              standard output and exit successfully.

EXAMPLES
       To create a private mlocate database as an user other than root, run
              updatedb -l 0 -o db_file -U source_directory
       Note that all users that can read db_file can get the complete list  of
       files in the subtree of source_directory.

FILES
       /etc/updatedb.conf
              A configuration file.  See updatedb.conf(5).

       /var/lib/mlocate/mlocate.db
              The database updated by default.

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

NOTES
       The  accompanying  locate(1)  utility  was designed to be compatible to
       slocate and attempts to be compatible to  GNU  locate  where  possible.
       This is not the case for updatedb.

AUTHOR
       Miloslav Trmac <mitr AT redhat.com>

SEE ALSO
       locate(1), mlocate.db(5), updatedb.conf(5)

mlocate                            Jun 2008                        updatedb(8)