@c %**end of header
@include version.texi
+@include constants.texi
@c Define new indices.
@defcodeindex op
This option is meaningful only when following by name.
Use it to control how long @code{tail} follows the descriptor of a file
that continues growing at a rapid pace even after it is deleted or renamed.
-After detecting @var{n} consecutive size changes for a file,
+After detecting @var{n}
+(default N=@value{DEFAULT_MAX_N_CONSECUTIVE_SIZE_CHANGES})
+consecutive size changes for a file,
@code{open}/@code{fstat} the file to determine if that file name is
still associated with the same device/inode-number pair as before.
-See the output of @code{tail --help} for the default value.
@itemx --max-unchanged-stats=@var{n}
@opindex --max-unchanged-stats
-When tailing a file by name, if there have been this many consecutive
+When tailing a file by name, if there have been @var{n} (default
+N=@value{DEFAULT_MAX_N_UNCHANGED_STATS_BETWEEN_OPENS}) consecutive
iterations for which the size has remained the same, then
@code{open}/@code{fstat} the file to determine if that file name is
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.
-See the output of @code{tail --help} for the default value.
This option is meaningful only when following by name.
@itemx -n @var{n}