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 licence 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@redhat.com>


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



mlocate				   Jun 2008			   updatedb(8)