From 33a5de5a0efd73abbb532dbd09f5afd23c511484 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Meyering Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:08:37 +0100 Subject: doc: tail: semi-deprecate --sleep-interval and --max-unchanged-stats Those options are useful only on systems that lack inotify support and in the unusual event that a system with inotify support must resort to polling. * src/tail.c (usage): Note that the --max-unchanged-stats=N and --sleep-interval=N options are rarely useful on systems with inotify support. * doc/coreutils.texi (tail invocation): Likewise. --- doc/coreutils.texi | 4 +++- src/tail.c | 6 ++++-- 2 files changed, 7 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/doc/coreutils.texi b/doc/coreutils.texi index 34d9ff031..76fdce165 100644 --- a/doc/coreutils.texi +++ b/doc/coreutils.texi @@ -2821,6 +2821,7 @@ Historical implementations of @command{tail} have required that @var{number} be an integer. However, GNU @command{tail} accepts an arbitrary floating point number (using a period before any fractional digits). +When @command{tail} uses inotify, this polling-related option is ignored. @itemx --pid=@var{pid} @opindex --pid @@ -2855,7 +2856,8 @@ still associated with the same device/inode-number pair as before. When following a log file that is rotated, this is approximately the number of seconds between when tail prints the last pre-rotation lines and when it prints the lines that have accumulated in the new log file. -This option is meaningful only when following by name. +This option is meaningful only when polling (i.e., without inotify) +and when following by name. @itemx -n @var{k} @itemx --lines=@var{k} diff --git a/src/tail.c b/src/tail.c index 924221016..2af9693de 100644 --- a/src/tail.c +++ b/src/tail.c @@ -286,7 +286,8 @@ Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.\n\ with --follow=name, reopen a FILE which has not\n\ changed size after N (default %d) iterations\n\ to see if it has been unlinked or renamed\n\ - (this is the usual case of rotated log files)\n\ + (this is the usual case of rotated log files).\n\ + With inotify, this option is rarely useful.\n\ "), DEFAULT_N_LINES, DEFAULT_MAX_N_UNCHANGED_STATS_BETWEEN_OPENS @@ -300,7 +301,8 @@ Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.\n\ "), stdout); fputs (_("\ -s, --sleep-interval=N with -f, sleep for approximately N seconds\n\ - (default 1.0) between iterations\n\ + (default 1.0) between iterations.\n\ + With inotify, this option is rarely useful.\n\ -v, --verbose always output headers giving file names\n\ "), stdout); fputs (HELP_OPTION_DESCRIPTION, stdout); -- cgit v1.2.3-54-g00ecf