how to configure updatedb to update locate database manually

septanla · 11-25-2005, 05:44 PM

Now updatedb runs everyday automatically. I want to run it manually.

My system is Ubuntu.
the content of updatedb.conf in /etc is as follows:

# This file sets environment variables which are used by updatedb

# filesystems which are pruned from updatedb database
PRUNEFS="NFS nfs afs proc smbfs autofs iso9660 ncpfs coda devpts ftpfs devfs mfs sysfs"
export PRUNEFS
# paths which are pruned from updatedb database
PRUNEPATHS="/tmp /usr/tmp /var/tmp /afs /amd /alex /var/spool /sfs"
export PRUNEPATHS
# netpaths which are added
NETPATHS=""
export NETPATHS
# run find as this user
LOCALUSER="nobody"
export LOCALUSER
# cron.daily/find: run at this priority -- higher number means lower priority
# (this is relative to the default which cron sets, which is usually +5)
NICE=10
export NICE

Thanks!

Septanla

bigrigdriver · 11-25-2005, 06:07 PM

Open a console window and cd to /etc/cron.daily. Do ls, and you should see a shell script named updatedb. All the scripts in cron.daily will be run by cron on a daily basis.

You have four options:
1) Move the file to some other place for safe keeping. I would advise editing the file to add a comment: the directory the file belongs in before moving. If you ever need to recover it for whatever reason, you will have it and only need to move it back to /etc/cron.daily.
2) Delete it. Read 1) above.
3) Rename it. Probably won't help. The scripts in cron.daily will probably be run, no matter what they are named.
4) Remove the executable bit: chmod -x updatedb. However, that will probably generate an error message every time cron encounters a non-executable script in cron.daily.

septanla · 11-28-2005, 03:45 AM

thanks a lot for your information. I just want to let you know that the name of the script is called slocate

thanks very much again, u helped me out

js_valencia · 12-02-2005, 06:58 PM

what application / software does install this updatedb.conf file???

What database is used for this?

Is there some RPM's that comes with these files??

Could anyone help me on this?

GreetZzZz

bluesword1969 · 12-22-2010, 02:05 PM

In reference to the last post, if you're looking for which package contains 'updatedb', see here:

Code:

# rpm -ql mlocate
/etc/cron.daily/mlocate.cron
/etc/updatedb.conf
/usr/bin/locate
/usr/bin/updatedb
/usr/share/doc/mlocate-0.15
/usr/share/doc/mlocate-0.15/AUTHORS
/usr/share/doc/mlocate-0.15/COPYING
/usr/share/doc/mlocate-0.15/NEWS
/usr/share/doc/mlocate-0.15/README
/usr/share/locale/cs/LC_MESSAGES/mlocate.mo
/usr/share/man/man1/locate.1.gz
/usr/share/man/man5/mlocate.db.5.gz
/usr/share/man/man5/updatedb.conf.5.gz
/usr/share/man/man8/updatedb.8.gz
/var/lib/mlocate
/var/lib/mlocate/mlocate.db

On some machines, it might be slocate.

Hope this helps!

Happy 2011!