Monitor Linux File System Events with Inotify

By Eli M. Dow
2005-05-31


This next-gen, dnotify replacement meets file system event-monitoring needs in the 2.6 kernel
Inotify is a file system event-monitoring mechanism slated for inclusion in upcoming Linux™ kernels that is designed to serve as an effective replacement for dnotify, which was the de facto file-monitoring mechanism supported in older kernels. Inotify is a powerful, fine-grained, asynchronous mechanism ideally suited for a variety of file-monitoring needs including, but not limited to, security and performance. Learn how to install inotify and how to build a sample user-space application to respond to file system events.

File system event monitoring is a necessity for many types of programs ranging from file managers to security tools, but dnotify -- the standard in earlier kernels -- had limitations that left us hoping for something better. With that in mind, meet inotify, a more modern file system event-monitoring alternative.

Tutorial Pages:
» This next-gen, dnotify replacement meets file system event-monitoring needs in the 2.6 kernel
» Why inotify?
» Installing inotify
» Using inotify in a simple application
» Conclusion
» Resources


First published by IBM DeveloperWorks

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