NAME

tail − display the last part of a file

SYNOPSIS

tail [ ±number[lbc][fr]] [ file ]

DESCRIPTION

Tail copies the named file to the standard output beginning at a designated place.  If no file is named, the standard input is used. 

OPTIONS

Options are all jammed together, not specified separately with their own − signs. 

+number
Begin copying at distance +number from the beginning of the file.  Number is counted in units of lines, blocks or characters, according to the appended option l, b, or c.  When no units are specified, counting is by lines. 

−number
Begin copying at distance −number from the end of the file.  Number is counted in units of lines, blocks or characters, according to the appended option l, b, or c.  When no units are specified, counting is by lines. 

r Copy lines from the end of the file in reverse order.  The default for r is to print the entire file this way. 

f Follow the file as it grows, that is, don’t quit at end of file, but rather wait and try to read repeatedly in hopes that the file will grow. 

SEE ALSO

dd(1)

BUGS

Tails relative to the end of the file are treasured up in a buffer, and thus are limited in length. 

Various kinds of anomalous behavior may happen with character special files. 

Sun System Release 0.3  —  27 April 1983