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NAME

       logtail2 - print log file lines that have not been read

SYNOPSIS

       logtail2 [-t] -flogfile [-ooffsetfile]

DESCRIPTION

       logtail2  reads a specified file (usually a log file) and writes to the
       standard output that part of it which has not  been  read  by  previous
       runs  of  logtail2.  It prints the appropriate number of bytes from the
       end of logfile, assuming that all changes that are made to  it  are  to
       add new characters to it.

       logfile must be a plain file.  A symlink is not allowed.

       logtail2  stores  the information about how much of it has already been
       read in a separate file called offsetfile.  offsetfile can be  omitted.
       If  omitted,  the file named logfile.offset in the same directory which
       contains logfile is used by default.

       If offsetfile is not empty, the inode of logfile is  checked.   If  the
       inode   is   changed,   logtail2   uses   the   heuristics   stored  in
       /usr/share/logtail/detectrotate/ to find  a  file  that  might  be  the
       rotated  logfile and prints it starting with the stored offset. It then
       proceeds to simply print the  entire  new  file  and  generates  a  new
       offsetfile.  If the inode is not changed but logfile is shorter than it
       was at the last run of logtail2, it writes a  warning  message  to  the
       standard output.

OPTIONS

       -f     logfile to be read after offset

       -o     offsetfile stores offset of previous run

       -t     test mode - do not change offset in offsetfile

RETURN VALUES

       0      successful

       65     cannot get the size of logfile

       66     general file or directory access issue

       73     cannot write offsetfile

AUTHOR

       The   original   logtail   was   written  in  C  by  Craig  H.  Rowland
       <crowland@psionic.com>.  This version of logtail is a  modification  of
       Paul  Slootman’s  re-implementation  in  perl.   enhanced by the Debian
       Logcheck Team <logcheck-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org>.

       This manual was written by Oohara Yuuma <oohara@libra.interq.or.jp> and
       enhanced        by        the        Debian        Logcheck        Team
       <logcheck-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org>..

SEE ALSO

       logcheck(8)