Linux multitail
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Multitail allows to view many logs in multi window terminal.
Install
sudo apt-get install multitail
Key bindings
u
select full size window; hide all windows except the one selected, cannot scrollU
back to multi-window view; un-hide all windowsb
select a window to preview in a pop-up window, you can scrollG
select window to dump to a filed
delete windowm
limit of lines to display, equivalent eg. tail -500q
exitctrl
+g
cancel /or return /or exit
Cheatsheet
while the program runs
r Redraws the screen. q x Exit the program. 0...9 Add a thick red line to window 0...9. e Edit the regular expression for a window. First you have to enter the window- number (look at the status-line; just before the filename) and then you can edit the regular expression for that window. Empty the line to delete the regular expression. d Delete a window a Add a window s Swap the positions of 2 windows v Toggle vertical screen split z Hide/unhide window c Set colors w Write script for restarting MultiTail. m Set marker n Delete a marker b Scroll back (and forth) p q i Info
"scroll back"-menu
x q Exit this screen. f / Search for a string. You can enter a regular expression or just the string to search for. n Search next instance, see f and / e Edit regular expression (filter) for displaying. s Save buffered lines to file.
command line options
-i Input file -I Same as -i but add the output to the previous window (so the output is merged). -l Command to execute in a window. Parameter is the command. Double quotes for args -L Same as -l but add the output to the previous window (so the output is merged). -r interval Restart the command (started with -l/-L) after it has exited. -R interval With interval you can set how long to sleep before restarting. Same as -r, only with this one only the difference is displayed. -f Follow the following filename, not the descriptor. -e Use the next regular expression on the following file. -ec Use regular expression on the following file and display the matches. -eC Use regular expression on the following file but display everything and display the matches inverted. -E Use the next regular expression on the following files. -v Negate the next regular expression. -s Splits the screen also vertically. -cs Show the next given file in colors (through syslog-scheme). -c Show the next given file in colors. -cS scheme Show the next given file using the colorscheme selected with scheme (as defined in multitail.conf). -Cs Show all following files in color (through syslog-scheme). -C Show all following files in color. -Cf field_index delimiter Show all following files in color depending on field selected with field_index. Fields are delimited by the defined delimiter. -cf field_index delimiter Show the next file in color depending on field selected with field_index. Fields are delimited by the defined delimiter. -m nlines Set mark and remember nlines lines. Set nlines to 0 (zero) if you want no limits on the buffering. Use this if you want to scroll back. -M nlines Set a mark on ALL following files. -p x [y] Set linewrap: a = print everything including linewrap. l = just show everything starting at the left until the rightside of the window is reached. r = show everything starting from the right of the line. s = show everything starting with the processname. S = show everything starting after the processname. o = show everything starting at offset 'y'. -H interval Visual heart-beat (usefull when you want to keep your session alive). Interval is in seconds.
examples
multitail logfile -l "ping 192.168.1.3" creates 2 windows, logfile content and output of ping command multitail -R 2 -l "netstat -t"