tail -- Command

Print the end of a file
tail [+n[bcfl]] [file]
tail [-n[bcfl]] [file]

tail copies  the last  part of file,  or of the  standard input if  none is
named, to the standard output.

The given  number tells tail where  to begin to copy  the data.  Numbers of
the form +number measure the starting point from the beginning of the file;
those of the form -number measure from the end of the file.

A specifier of blocks, characters, or  lines (b, c, or l, respectively) may
follow the  number; the  default is  lines.  If no  number is  specified, a
default of -10 is assumed.

The -f option  opens the tail of a file,  and then displays new material as
it is added  to a file.  This command lets you  watch a file as it is being
built, such as by nroff.  Note  that when tail is invoked with this option,
it does  not exit;  therefore, when  you wish to  exit, type  the interrupt
character (usually <ctrl-C>).

See Also

commands,
dd,
egrep,
head,
sed

Notes

Because tail buffers  data measured from the end of  the file, large counts
may not work.

© 2012 by Stephen A. Ness