[SOLVED] ls -al command has a limit to what it can files it can list?

JockVSJock · 07-11-2016, 07:31 AM

Have a directory on a RHEL server where, if I run the following command:

Code:

[root@server adump]# ls -ltc | wc -l
37188
[root@server adump]#

It gives me a number of files in that directory.

If I run the following, to get a better idea of what files are showing up towards the bottom of the ls command.

Code:

[root@code adump]# ls -ltc | tail -n 25
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      871 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_22968_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      871 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_23651_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      870 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_23739_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      869 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_24023_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      870 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_24792_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      870 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_25191_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      872 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_25448_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      805 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_25586_3.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      869 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_25662_2.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      804 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_26040_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      871 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_26509_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      871 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_28822_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      871 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_31581_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      869 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_31799_3.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      865 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_31943_2.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      861 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_32052_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba    17824 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_32542_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      868 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_3640_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      869 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_4690_2.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba     5121 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_696_2.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      859 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_7019_3.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      801 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_7758_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      869 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_8665_2.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      867 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_9810_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba      867 Mar 11 03:46 rhnsatdb_ora_9827_1.aud
[root@code adump]#

The date shows Mar 11 of 2016.

However say I run the following find command below, it brings back results that are further in the past the what is listed by then the first ls command

Code:

[root@serveradump]# find . -type f -name "*.aud" -mtime 123 -print | xargs ls -al
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar  9 18:59 ./rhnsatdb_ora_20376_3.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar 10 02:12 ./rhnsatdb_ora_22200_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     866 Mar 10 02:15 ./rhnsatdb_ora_23165_3.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba    1823 Mar  9 18:00 ./rhnsatdb_ora_23945_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba    2793 Mar  9 18:00 ./rhnsatdb_ora_23950_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba    1650 Mar  9 18:00 ./rhnsatdb_ora_23951_2.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba    1050 Mar  9 18:00 ./rhnsatdb_ora_23953_2.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba 3983944 Mar  9 18:08 ./rhnsatdb_ora_23954_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba    1650 Mar  9 18:00 ./rhnsatdb_ora_23955_4.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba    5125 Mar  9 18:08 ./rhnsatdb_ora_23956_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba   17824 Mar  9 18:08 ./rhnsatdb_ora_23963_2.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar 10 02:16 ./rhnsatdb_ora_30671_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar 10 02:16 ./rhnsatdb_ora_30673_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar 10 02:17 ./rhnsatdb_ora_30675_2.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar 10 02:16 ./rhnsatdb_ora_30677_4.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar 10 02:16 ./rhnsatdb_ora_30679_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar 10 02:16 ./rhnsatdb_ora_30681_2.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar 10 02:16 ./rhnsatdb_ora_30683_3.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar 10 02:16 ./rhnsatdb_ora_30693_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar 10 00:08 ./rhnsatdb_ora_30743_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar 10 02:17 ./rhnsatdb_ora_30779_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     862 Mar  9 23:26 ./rhnsatdb_ora_31007_3.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     860 Mar 10 02:15 ./rhnsatdb_ora_3686_2.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     860 Mar 10 02:15 ./rhnsatdb_ora_3688_4.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     860 Mar 10 02:15 ./rhnsatdb_ora_3690_2.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     860 Mar 10 02:15 ./rhnsatdb_ora_3692_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     860 Mar 10 02:15 ./rhnsatdb_ora_3694_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     860 Mar 10 02:15 ./rhnsatdb_ora_3696_2.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     860 Mar 10 02:15 ./rhnsatdb_ora_3698_1.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     860 Mar 10 00:09 ./rhnsatdb_ora_5706_2.aud
-rw------- 1 oracle dba     858 Mar 10 00:02 ./rhnsatdb_ora_874_1.aud

So I'm wondering why the 1st ls command isn't showing me all of the 37188 files, and I have to use a find command with mtime to show files that are further back in time?

thanks

keefaz · 07-11-2016, 09:18 AM

Code:

tail -n 25

Shows the last 25 lines

michaelk · 07-11-2016, 10:17 AM

In addition, the difference is due to the c option of the ls command which is ctime but your using mtime with find.

JockVSJock · 07-11-2016, 10:37 AM

Ok, I removed the 'c' from the ls and was able to get what I need.

Code:

[root@server adump]# ls -alt | tail -n 5
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      993 Jan  6  2011 rhnsatdb_ora_21118_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      803 Jan  6  2011 rhnsatdb_ora_20869_2.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      801 Jan  6  2011 rhnsatdb_ora_20944_1.aud
-rw-r----- 1 oracle dba      805 Jan  6  2011 rhnsatdb_ora_20869_1.aud
drwxr-x--- 6 oracle dba     4096 Jan  6  2011 ..