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Document new tail options.
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@@ -1483,13 +1483,13 @@ gets output from a different file, to indicate which file that output is
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from.
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There are two ways to specify how you'd like to track files with this option,
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but that difference is noticeable only when a followed file is removed.
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but that difference is noticeable only when a followed file is removed or
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renamed.
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If you'd like to continue to track the end of a growing file even after
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it has been unlinked, use @samp{--follow=descriptor}. This is the default
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behavior, but it is not useful if you're tracking a log file that may be
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rotated (removed and reopened). In that case, use @samp{--follow=name} to
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track the named file by reopening it periodically
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@c FIXME: cross reference to the new option name
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rotated (removed or renamed, then reopened). In that case, use
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@samp{--follow=name} to track the named file by reopening it periodically
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to see if it has been removed and recreated by some other program.
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No matter which method you use, if the tracked file is determined to have
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@@ -1499,16 +1499,50 @@ and resumes tracking the end of the file from the newly-determined endpoint.
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When a file is removed, @code{tail}'s behavior depends on whether it is
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following the name or the descriptor. When following by name, tail can
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detect that a file has been removed and gives a message to that effect,
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and if @samp{--allow-missing} has been specified it will continue checking
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and if @samp{--retry} has been specified it will continue checking
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periodically to see if the file reappears.
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When following a descriptor, tail does not detect that the file has
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been unlinked and issues no message.
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been unlinked or renamed and issues no message; even though the file
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may no longer be accessible via its original name, it may still be
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growing.
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The option values @samp{descriptor} and @samp{name} may be specified only
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with the long form of the option, not with @samp{-f}.
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@c FIXME-describe --allow-missing [useful only with --follow]
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@c FIXME-describe --sleep-interval [useful only with --follow]
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@itemx --retry
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@opindex --retry
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This option is meaningful only when following by name.
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Without this option, when tail encounters a file that doesn't
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exist or is otherwise inaccessible, it reports that fact and
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never checks it again.
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@itemx --sleep-interval=@var{n}
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@opindex --sleep-interval
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Change the number of seconds to wait between iterations (the default is 1).
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During one iteration, every specified file is checked to see if it has
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changed size.
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@itemx --max-consecutive-size-changes=@var{n}
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@opindex --max-consecutive-size-changes
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This option is meaningful only when following by name.
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Use it to control how long @code{tail} follows the descriptor of a file
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that continues growing at a rapid pace even after it is deleted or renamed.
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After detecting @var{n} consecutive size changes for a file,
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@code{open}/@code{fstat} the file to determine if that file name is
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still associated with the same device/inode-number pair as before.
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See the output of @code{tail --help} for the default value.
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@itemx --max-unchanged-stats=@var{n}
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@opindex --max-unchanged-stats
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When tailing a file by name, if there have been this many consecutive
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iterations for which the size has remained the same, then
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@code{open}/@code{fstat} the file to determine if that file name is
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still associated with the same device/inode-number pair as before.
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When following a log file that is rotated this is approximately the
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number of seconds between when tail prints the last pre-rotation lines
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and when it prints the lines that have accumulated in the new log file.
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See the output of @code{tail --help} for the default value.
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This option is meaningful only when following by name.
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@itemx -n @var{n}
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@itemx --lines=@var{n}
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