Thanks so much for the prompt response. I have an Intel iMac… running Mac OS 10-6-2 plus mall updates.
Using Mac's "Terminal" option, I found no MAN pages you suggest. I am beginning to think that As a clamav user, I need a Linux version running under my VMWare system just to get more 'UNIXfied' Cheers, Jim B ======================================================================================================== On Nov 29, 2009, at 8:39 AM, G.W. Haywood wrote: > Hi there, > > On Sun, 29 Nov 2009 James Babcock wrote: > >> I found a Known virus file (which is zipped) .. clamscan finds it; BUT >> clamdscan DOES not. >> >> Is there a reason for this? > > Yes. Read the two sentence "DESCRIPTION" in > > man clamdscan > > which tells you why there's a difference. > > See also > > http://wiki.clamav.net/bin/view/Main/ClamscanVsClamd > >> Since finding this difference, I now use the clamscan script even >> though it IS somewhat slower.... > > It would be better to learn how use the tools more effectively. > > The idea of any daemon is to start up, wait for something to happen, > or for some process to communicate, and then do (for example) some > things requested in a list, or things requested by the process that > communicates. One such daemon is clamd, which reads a configuration > file and some virus databases, then waits for processes to ask it to > do some virus scanning. The way it behaves is largely defined by its > configuration file. You can choose what that file is called and where > it is, but usually it's called clamd.conf and on my systems that's in > /etc/mail/clamav/. > > While the daemon is waiting, the only resources it's using to speak of > are some bytes of memory. Quite a lot of them to be frank, but that's > OK if you have a lot of them available. While it's running, but isn't > actually scanning anything, clamd sleeps and uses very little CPU. > > Because clamdscan uses clamd, which has already done the hard work of > reading the virus database, it doesn't have to do that itself. But it > DOES rely on clamd to decide what to look for and what not to look for. > That's in the daemon's configuration file. It's true that clamdscan > accepts most of the options that clamscan accepts, but it ignores most > of them. To my way of thinking that's daft, but you do get your money > back if you aren't satisfied. :) > > Also, because clamdscan doesn't normally read the file and then pass > the contents to clamd (it only tells clamd what file to scan), clamd > normally needs to be able to read the file that you want to scan. It > might be able to read it and it might not, that depends entirely upon > how you have set up your filesystem and clamd itself. Alternatively > you can pipe the file into clamdscan if you wish, and then clamd will > get the file on its 'standard input' from clamdscan instead of having > to find it in the filesystem and then read it. But it will STILL use > the scanning options from its configuration file - there's little you > can do about that without getting more creative than your skills will > allow at the moment. > > On the other hand clamscan decides much more about the way the virus > scanning engine scans the files, but it has to load the databases, and > you have to wait for that to happen. > > Under some circumstances you might want to use clamscan, and under > other circumstances you might be able to use clamdscan. Also if you > don't want the daemon running then clamdscan will complain, and you'll > have to use clamscan and be prepared to wait while the process loads > the database. > > Both the configuration file and the man pages e.g. > > man clamd.conf > > contain a lot of useful information. > > -- > > 73, > Ged. > _______________________________________________ > Help us build a comprehensive ClamAV guide: visit http://wiki.clamav.net > http://www.clamav.net/support/ml ======================================================== Jim Babcock Ph: 512-310-1968 Babcock Consulting Fax: 608-541-6206 1802 Gray Oak Dr mailto:babc...@jabis.com Round Rock, Tx 78681 Visit J & B Imaging Services' Web Page at: http://www.jabis.com Frederick Brooks: "I happily use a Macintosh. It's not been equalled for ease of use and I want my computer to be a tool, not a challenge." [Former IBMer Brooks is the author of 'The Mythical Man Month'] ======================================================== _______________________________________________ Help us build a comprehensive ClamAV guide: visit http://wiki.clamav.net http://www.clamav.net/support/ml
