[gentoo-user] Way OT - date listed for a directory in ls -l

[gentoo-user] Way OT - date listed for a directory in ls -l

[Michael Sullivan]

Under what condition is the date of a directory (shown with ls -l)
updated?  Is it when the directory is created, or when a file somewhere
below the directory is updated or some other time?  I make weekly
backups of the user accounts on my server box.  Because space and CD
media are in limited supply (at least for me) I write the backups to CD
once a month.  Full backups are made on Sunday and after a new Sunday's
backup has been made I edit the previous Sunday's backup and delete all
files that hadn't been changed recently when that backup (the one I'm
editing) was made.  This is a somewhat time-consuming method.  I was
just wondering if the directory date could give me a clue as to the date
of the most recent file updated under that directory...

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Re: [gentoo-user] Way OT - date listed for a directory in ls -l

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Sun, 14 Aug 2005 10:51:41 -0500, Michael Sullivan wrote:

> Under what condition is the date of a directory (shown with ls -l)
> updated?  Is it when the directory is created, or when a file somewhere
> below the directory is updated or some other time?  I make weekly
> backups of the user accounts on my server box.  Because space and CD
> media are in limited supply (at least for me) I write the backups to CD
> once a month.  Full backups are made on Sunday and after a new Sunday's
> backup has been made I edit the previous Sunday's backup and delete all
> files that hadn't been changed recently when that backup (the one I'm
> editing) was made.  This is a somewhat time-consuming method.  I was
> just wondering if the directory date could give me a clue as to the date
> of the most recent file updated under that directory...

Try rdiff-backup, it does more or less what you are doing manually,
without all the hassle or potential for error.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    Benjamin Franklin

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Re: [gentoo-user] Way OT - date listed for a directory in ls -l

[Uwe Thiem]

On 14 August 2005 16:51, Michael Sullivan wrote:
> Under what condition is the date of a directory (shown with ls -l)
> updated?  Is it when the directory is created, or when a file somewhere
> below the directory is updated or some other time?  I make weekly
> backups of the user accounts on my server box.  Because space and CD
> media are in limited supply (at least for me) I write the backups to CD
> once a month.  Full backups are made on Sunday and after a new Sunday's
> backup has been made I edit the previous Sunday's backup and delete all
> files that hadn't been changed recently when that backup (the one I'm
> editing) was made.  This is a somewhat time-consuming method.  I was
> just wondering if the directory date could give me a clue as to the date
> of the most recent file updated under that directory...

Not really. The timestamp is changed when the directory itself (not it's 
content) is written to. Creating a file in that directory (but not in a 
subdirectory of it) changes it. Same for removing a file or renaming it.

Uwe

-- 
95% of all programmers rate themselves among the top 5% of all software 
developers. - Linus Torvalds

http://www.uwix.iway.na (last updated: 20.06.2004)
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Re: [gentoo-user] Way OT - date listed for a directory in ls -l

[Michael Sullivan]

On Sun, 2005-08-14 at 18:09 +0100, Uwe Thiem wrote:
> On 14 August 2005 16:51, Michael Sullivan wrote:
> > Under what condition is the date of a directory (shown with ls -l)
> > updated?  Is it when the directory is created, or when a file somewhere
> > below the directory is updated or some other time?  I make weekly
> > backups of the user accounts on my server box.  Because space and CD
> > media are in limited supply (at least for me) I write the backups to CD
> > once a month.  Full backups are made on Sunday and after a new Sunday's
> > backup has been made I edit the previous Sunday's backup and delete all
> > files that hadn't been changed recently when that backup (the one I'm
> > editing) was made.  This is a somewhat time-consuming method.  I was
> > just wondering if the directory date could give me a clue as to the date
> > of the most recent file updated under that directory...
> 
> Not really. The timestamp is changed when the directory itself (not it's 
> content) is written to. Creating a file in that directory (but not in a 
> subdirectory of it) changes it. Same for removing a file or renaming it.
> 
> Uwe
> 
> -- 
> 95% of all programmers rate themselves among the top 5% of all software 
> developers. - Linus Torvalds
> 
> http://www.uwix.iway.na (last updated: 20.06.2004)

Thank you.  That is what I wanted to know. :)
-Michael Sullivan-

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