output from ls

[Karl Myers_1]

what does the total refer to when using ls returns

total 8
file
file

[John Palmer · Accepted solution]

Hi,

From 'man ls'

When an option is specified that results in a listing of directory and/or file sizes in bytes or blocks (such as the -s or -l (ell) option), a total count of blocks, including indirect blocks, is also printed at the beginning of the listing.

So it's the number of blocks occupied by the files/directories that were listed.

Regards,
John

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi:

The total number is the total number of blocks (512-bytes each) in the directory. Once allocated they are never deallocated, so if the total value is very large and the number of files in the directory very small, you know at one time that the directory was highly populated.

Regards!

...JRF...

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi (again):

Oops, John is correct. The non-shrinking number I was referring to was the size in bytes of the *directory*, not the "total" as I erroneously indicated. The total value is a block count as already noted.

Regards!

...JRF...

[Karl Myers_1]

Thank you both for that.

Your time is appreciated.

Regards
KM