“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…”
Web Webster has more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience in the tech sector. He’s written and edited news, demand generation, user-focused, and thought leadership content for business software solutions, consumer tech, and Linux Today, he edits and writes for a portfolio of tech industry news and analysis websites including webopedia.com, and DatabaseJournal.com.
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