file in use

[CyberNerd]

What's the windows equivalent of lsof please?

 

I want to know what process is using a particular file.

[Geoff]

Noting in the stock OS will do it. Try this though.

 

Process Explorer

[glennda]

Depends what file your trying to view - in windows you can use share and storage manager to view which user has files open on a share.

[Geoff]

True, but that doesn't give you the same information lsof does on *nix. Process Explorer does.

[glennda]

True, but that doesn't give you the same information lsof does on *nix. Process Explorer does.

 

But if you are trying to locate which user has kept a file open from a shared drive share and storage manager is the ticket. I agree Process explorer will tell you a lot more info but for basic easy access the other thing works!

[CyberNerd]

Thanks.

I used intuition in the end. The problem was with a custom app and it was actually IIS holding a log file open..

 

Don't suppose windows servers have anything as advanced as logrotate do they?

[ChrisMiles]

Thanks.

I used intuition in the end. The problem was with a custom app and it was actually IIS holding a log file open..

 

Don't suppose windows servers have anything as advanced as logrotate do they?

 

/sarcasm?

 

No it doesnt, because Windows services are supposed to use the Windows Event Log to log day-to-day activity not flat text files. Generally a windows installer will write to a log file as a one off and most services use the event log. There are always exceptions, but thats the fault of the service, not Windows.

[CyberNerd]

/sarcasm?

 

No it doesnt, because Windows services are supposed to use the Windows Event Log to log day-to-day activity not flat text files. Generally a windows installer will write to a log file as a one off and most services use the event log. There are always exceptions, but thats the fault of the service, not Windows.

 

I suppose windows applications aren't supposed to use text files for configuring either.

This app uses XML files for configuration and 'standard' log files for logging. Somehow it also requires IIS.

 

without sed, grep and a decent test editor this is taking me 10 times longer than it should! I don't know how you windows admins put up with this O/S Linux is SO much easier !

[glennda]

/sarcasm?

 

No it doesnt, because Windows services are supposed to use the Windows Event Log to log day-to-day activity not flat text files. Generally a windows installer will write to a log file as a one off and most services use the event log. There are always exceptions, but thats the fault of the service, not Windows.

 

Pretty sure IIS logs to C:\windows\system32\logfiles\W3SVC1 does it not? therefore microsoft don't follow there own principles! they do however create a new file for each day.

[Geoff]

IIS logs flat files in 'C:\Windows\System32\LogFiles\W3SVC1' IIRC. I'd just use Cygwin tbh. However I did come across this script too.

 

http://www.sapien.com/forums/scriptinganswers/forum_posts.asp?TID=1650

Edited June 22, 2012 by Geoff

[CyberNerd]

it isn't an IIS log. the log is from a 3rd party app, but since I couldn't lsof to find the process I shut down the whole of IIS.

[psydii]

Might LogParser be able to help?

 

Log Parser 2.2

 

Also powershell can do regex though that is something I've never quite got the hang of. /hands in his sysadmin card.