There will be times when you know a file or directory exists but you
will not know where to find it. Searching for a file or directory can be
easier with the locate command.
With locate, you will see every file or
directory whose name contains the search criterion. For example, if you want to
search for all files with the word finger in the name,
type:
The locate command uses a database to locate
files and directories that have the word finger in
the file or directory name. The search results could include a file
called finger.txt, a file called
pointerfinger.txt, a directory named
fingerthumbnails, and so on.
 | Tip |
|---|
| | To learn more about locate, read the
locate man page (type man
locate at a shell prompt).
|
The locate command works very quickly, as long as
the database is up to date. That database is automatically updated on a
nightly basis, from cron. Cron is
a small program that runs in the background, performing various tasks,
such as updating the locate database, at regularly
scheduled intervals.
| Tip |
|---|
| | Cron is a daemon that
executes tasks at regularly scheduled intervals. To read the
cron man page,
type man cron at the shell prompt.
|
Cron periodically updates the
slocate database, which is used to catalog file
location. Switching between operating systems and shutting down your
machine at the end of the day can interfere with this automatic database
update.
To update the database manually, log in as root (type
su at a shell prompt and then your root password)
and type the command updatedb.
After a few minutes, the slocate database that
is used by the locate command will be current.
 | Note |
|---|
| | You can run anacron to have
your system execute commands periodically, with a frequency specified in
days. Unlike cron, it does not assume that the
machine is running continuously. Hence, it can be used on machines that
are not running 24 hours a day, to control daily, weekly, and monthly
jobs that are usually controlled by cron.
Read the man page on anacron (type man
anacron at the command line) for more information.
|
