6.38. File-4.13

The File package contains a utility for determining the type of a given file or files.

Approximate build time: 0.1 SBU
Required disk space: 6.2 MB
Installation depends on: Bash, Binutils, Coreutils, Diffutils, GCC, Glibc, Grep, Make, Sed, and Zlib

6.38.1. Installation of File

Prepare File for compilation:

./configure --prefix=/usr

Compile the package:

make

Install the package:

make install

6.38.2. Contents of File

Installed programs: file
Installed library: libmagic.[a,so]

Short Descriptions

file

Tries to classify each given file; it does this by performing several tests—file system tests, magic number tests, and language tests

libmagic

Contains routines for magic number recognition, used by the file program