NAME

       mlocate.db - a mlocate database

DESCRIPTION

       A mlocate database starts with a file header: 8 bytes for a magic number ("\0mlocate" like
       a C literal), 4 bytes for the configuration block size in big  endian,  1  byte  for  file
       format  version  (0),  1 byte for the “require visibility” flag (0 or 1), 2 bytes padding,
       and a NUL-terminated path name of the root of the database.

       The header is followed by a configuration block, included  to  ensure  databases  are  not
       reused  if  some  configuration  changes  could  affect  their  contents.  The size of the
       configuration block in bytes is stored in the file header.  The configuration block  is  a
       sequence  of  variable  assignments,  ordered  by variable name.  Each variable assignment
       consists of a NUL-terminated variable name and an ordered list of  NUL-terminated  values.
       The  value  list is terminated by one more NUL character.  The ordering used is defined by
       the strcmp () function.

       Currently defined variables are:

       prune_bind_mounts
              A single entry, the value of PRUNE_BIND_MOUNTS; one of the strings 0 or 1.

       prunefs
              The value of PRUNEFS, each entry is converted to uppercase.

       prunepaths
              The value of PRUNEPATHS.

       The rest of the file until EOF describes directories and their contents.   Each  directory
       starts  with  a  header:  8  bytes for directory time (seconds) in big endian, 4 bytes for
       directory time (nanoseconds) in big endian (0 if  unknown,  less  than  1,000,000,000),  4
       bytes padding, and a NUL-terminated path name of the the directory.  Directory contents, a
       sequence of file entries sorted by name, follow.

       Directory time is the maximum of st_ctime and st_mtime of the directory.  updatedb(8) uses
       the  original  data  if  the  directory  time in the database and in the file system match
       exactly.  Directory time equal to 0 always causes rescanning of  the  directory:  this  is
       necessary to handle directories which were being updated while building the database.

       Each file entry starts with a single byte, marking its type:

       0      A non-directory file.  Followed by a NUL-terminated file (not path) name.

       1      A subdirectory.  Followed by a NUL-terminated file (not path) name.

       2      Marks the end of the current directory.

       locate(1)  only  reports  file  entries, directory names are not reported because they are
       reported as an entry in their parent directory.  The only exception is the root  directory
       of the database, which is stored in the file header.

AUTHOR

       Miloslav Trmac <mitr@redhat.com>

SEE ALSO

       locate(1), updatedb.conf(5), updatedb(8)