Ubuntu Manpage: updatedb - update a file name database

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  contain  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  cannot  be
       concatenated together.

       The LOCATE02 database format was introduced in GNU findutils version 4.0 in order to allow
       machines with different byte orderings to share the databases.  GNU locate can  read  both
       the  old and LOCATE02 database formats, though support for the old pre-4.0 database format
       will be removed shortly.

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 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.

--dbformat=F
Create the database in format F. The default format is called LOCATE02.
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.

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.

REPORTING BUGS

       GNU findutils online help: <https://www.gnu.org/software/findutils/#get-help>
       Report any translation bugs to <https://translationproject.org/team/>

       Report any other issue via the form at the GNU Savannah bug tracker:
              <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=findutils>
       General topics about the GNU findutils package are discussed at the bug-findutils  mailing
       list:
              <https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-findutils>

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright © 1994–2024 Free Software Foundation, Inc.  License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or
       later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
       This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.  There is NO  WARRANTY,
       to the extent permitted by law.