find.info: Invoking updatedb

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7.3 Invoking `updatedb'
=======================

     updatedb [OPTION...]

   `updatedb' creates and updates the database of file names used by
`locate'.  `updatedb' generates a list of files similar to the output
of `find' and then uses utilities for optimizing the database for
performance.  `updatedb' is often run periodically as a `cron' job and
configured with environment variables or command options.  Typically,
operating systems have a shell script that "exports" configurations for
variable definitions and uses another shell script that "sources" the
configuration file into the environment and then executes `updatedb' in
the environment.

   `updatedb' creates and updates the database of file names used by
`locate'.  `updatedb' generates a list of files similar to the output
of `find' and then uses utilities for optimizing the database for
performance.  `updatedb' is often run periodically as a `cron' job and
configured with environment variables or command options.  Typically,
operating systems have a shell script that "exports" configurations for
variable definitions and uses another shell script that "sources" the
configuration file into the environment and then executes `updatedb' in
the environment.

`--findoptions='OPTION...''
     Global options to pass on to `find'.  The environment variable
     `FINDOPTIONS' also sets this value.  Default is none.

`--localpaths='PATH...''
     Non-network directories to put in the database.  Default is `/'.

`--netpaths='PATH...''
     Network (NFS, AFS, RFS, etc.) directories to put in the database.
     The environment variable `NETPATHS' also sets this value.  Default
     is none.

`--prunepaths='PATH...''
     Directories to omit from the database, which would otherwise be
     included.  The environment variable `PRUNEPATHS' also sets this
     value.  Default is `/tmp /usr/tmp /var/tmp /afs'.  The paths are
     used as regular expressions (with `find ... -regex', so you need
     to specify these paths in the same way that `find' will encounter
     them.  This means for example that the paths must not include
     trailing slashes.

`--prunefs='PATH...''
     Filesystems to omit from the database, which would otherwise be
     included.  Note that files are pruned when a filesystem is reached;
     Any filesystem mounted under an undesired filesystem will be
     ignored.  The environment variable `PRUNEFS' also sets this value.
     Default is `nfs NFS proc'.

`--output=DBFILE'
     The database file to build.  The default is system-dependent, but
     when this document was formatted it was `/usr/local/var/locatedb'.

`--localuser=USER'
     The user to search the non-network directories as, using `su'.
     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'.  Default
     `user' is `daemon'.  You can also use the environment variable
     `NETUSER' to set this user.

`--old-format'
     Generate a `locate' database in the old format, for compatibility
     with versions of `locate' other than GNU `locate'.  Using this
     option means that `locate' will not be able to properly handle
     non-ASCII characters in file names (that is, file names containing
     characters which have the eighth bit set, such as many of the
     characters from the ISO-8859-1 character set).  Note: Database
     Formats, for a detailed description of the supported database
     formats.

`--dbformat=FORMAT'
     Generate the locate database in format `FORMAT'.  Supported
     database formats include `LOCATE02' (which is the default), `old'
     and `slocate'.  The `old' format exists for compatibility with
     implementations of `locate' on other Unix systems.  The `slocate'
     format exists for compatibility with `slocate'.  Note: Database
     Formats, for a detailed description of each format.

`--help'
     Print a summary of the command line usage and exit.

`--version'
     Print the version number of `updatedb' and exit.