TAIL(1) User Commands TAIL(1)
NAME
tail - output the last part of files
SYNOPSIS
tail [OPTION]... [FILE]...
DESCRIPTION
Print the last 10 lines of each FILE to standard output. With more
than one FILE, precede each with a header giving the file(1,n) name. With
no FILE, or when FILE is -, read(2,n,1 builtins) standard input.
Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options
too.
--retry
keep trying to open(2,3,n) a file(1,n) even if(3,n) it is inaccessible when tail
starts or if(3,n) it becomes inaccessible later -- useful only with
-f
-c, --bytes=N
output the last N bytes
-f, --follow[={name|descriptor}]
output appended data as the file(1,n) grows; -f, --follow, and --fol-
low=descriptor are equivalent
-F same as --follow=name --retry
-n, --lines=N
output the last N lines, instead of the last 10
--max-unchanged-stats=N
with --follow=name, reopen a FILE which has not changed size
after N (default 5) iterations to see if(3,n) it has been unlinked or
renamed (this is the usual case of rotated log files)
--pid=PID
with -f, terminate after process ID, PID dies
-q, --quiet, --silent
never output headers giving file(1,n) names
-s, --sleep-interval=S
with -f, sleep(1,3) for approximately S seconds (default 1.0) between
iterations.
-v, --verbose
always output headers giving file(1,n) names
--help display this help and exit(3,n,1 builtins)
--version
output version(1,3,5) information and exit(3,n,1 builtins)
If the first character of N (the number of bytes or lines) is a `+',
print beginning with the Nth item from the start of each file(1,n), other-
wise, print the last N items in(1,8) the file. N may have a multiplier suf-
fix: b 512, k 1024, m 1024*1024.
With --follow (-f), tail defaults to following the file(1,n) descriptor,
which means that even if(3,n) a tail'ed file(1,n) is renamed, tail will continue
to track its end. This default behavior is not desirable when you
really want to track the actual name of the file(1,n), not the file(1,n) descrip-
tor (e.g., log rotation). Use --follow=name in(1,8) that case. That causes
tail to track the named(5,8) file(1,n) by reopening it periodically to see if(3,n) it
has been removed and recreated by some other program.
AUTHOR
Written by Paul Rubin, David MacKenzie, Ian Lance Taylor, and Jim Mey-
ering.
REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs to <bug-coreutils@gnu.org>.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright Š 2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is
NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE.
SEE ALSO
The full documentation for tail is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If
the info(1,5,n) and tail programs are properly installed at your site, the
command
info(1,5,n) coreutils tail
should give you access(2,5) to the complete manual.
tail (coreutils) 5.2.1 March 2004 TAIL(1)