NAME

       logtail - print log file lines that have not been read

SYNOPSIS

       logtail [-t] -flogfile [-ooffsetfile]

DESCRIPTION

       logtail reads a specified file (usually a log file) and writes to the standard output that
       part of it which has not been read by previous runs of logtail.  It prints the appropriate
       number of bytes from the end of logfile, assuming that all changes that are made to it are
       to add new characters to it.

       logfile must be a plain file.  A symlink is not allowed.

       logtail stores the information about how much of it has already been read  in  a  separate
       file  called  offsetfile.   offsetfile  can  be  omitted.   If  omitted,  the  file  named
       logfile.offset in the same directory which contains logfile is used by default.

       If offsetfile is not empty, the inode of logfile is checked.  If  the  inode  is  changed,
       logtail simply prints the entire file.  If the inode is not changed but logfile is shorter
       than it was at the last run of logtail, it  writes  a  warning  message  to  the  standard
       output.

OPTIONS

       -f     logfile to be read after offset

       -o     offsetfile stores offset of previous run

       -t     test mode - do not change offset in offsetfile

RETURN VALUES

       0      successful

       65     cannot get the size of logfile

       66     logfile does not exist, is not a plain file, or is not readable

       73     cannot write offsetfile

AUTHOR

       The  original  logtail  was written in C by Craig H. Rowland <crowland@psionic.com>.  This
       version of  logtail  is  a  Perl  reimplementation  by  Paul  Slootman  <paul@debian.org>.
       Enhanced by the Debian Logcheck Team <logcheck-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org>.

       This manual was written by Oohara Yuuma <oohara@libra.interq.or.jp>.

SEE ALSO

       logcheck(8)