---
name: "update-aide.conf"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "aide-common"
version: "0.16.1-1+deb10u1"
release: "Debian 10 (Buster)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/update-aide.conf"
---

# update-aide.conf(8)

build run-time AIDE configuration

## NAME

update-aide.conf - build run-time AIDE configuration

## SYNOPSIS

**update-aide.conf**

## DESCRIPTION

**update-aide.conf** rebuilds the runtime AIDE configuration. /etc/aide/aide.conf and the contents of the /etc/aide/aide.conf.d directory. If one of these files is executable, **update-aide.conf** executes the file and uses its stdout for the AIDE configuration. For files that are not executable, their contents is copied into AIDE configuration verbatim. The input paths can be controlled from the command line or using configuration options in /etc/default/aide. **update-aide.conf** is primarily used by  **aideinit** (8), the  **aide** wrapper and and the  **/etc/cron.daily/aide** script.

Debian Packages might drop configuration snippets in **/etc/aide/aide.conf.d** , which will be picked up automatically by aide if the default paths are used. If you would prefer to control your rules yourself, you might want to point **update-aide.conf** to a different conf.d directory by configuring **/etc/default/aide** appropriately. You can then use symlinks to select Debian rules. Or you can edit the files dropped into  **/etc/aide/aide.conf.d** yourself, they are dpkg-conffiles.

All command line settings can also be overridden by setting the appropriate environment variable from /etc/default/aide. Additionally, values set in the environment prior to the call to update-aide.conf are also honored. The location of the defaults file can also be overridden from the environment.

## OPTIONS

- **-v, --verbose**

  Enable verbose mode, tell about ignored files

- **-h, --help**

  Show this message

- **--keepcomments**

  Do not remove comment lines

- **--removecomments**

  Remove comment lines (default)

- **-o, --output**

  write output to file instead of /var/lib/aide/aide.conf.autogenerated

- **-d, --confdir**

  read input from given directory instead of /etc/aide. Can be overridden using UPAC\_CONFDIR.

- **-D, --confd**

  read config file snippets from given directory instead of /etc/aide/aide.conf.d. Can be overridden using UPAC\_CONFD.

- **-S, --settingsd**

  read settings files from given directory instead of /etc/aide/aide.settings.d. Can be overridden using UPAC\_SETTINGSD.

- **-a, --autoconfigfile**

  write output to the given file instead of /var/lib/aide/aide.conf.autogenerated. Can be overridden using UPAC\_AUTOCONFIGFILE.

- **-m, --mainconfigfile**

  read main part of aide configuration from given file instead of /etc/aide/aide.conf. Can be overridden using UPAC\_MAINCONFIGFILE

## FILES

- **/etc/aide/aide.conf**

  main AIDE configuration file

- **/etc/aide/aide.conf.d**

  configuration file fragments to be added to the master configuration file

- **/etc/aide/aide.settings.d**

  settings files parsed by some configuration files in UPAC\_CONFD.

- **/etc/default/aide**

  Debian aide defaults file used for permanently overriding some option defaults. This can be overridden from the environment using the UPAC\_DEFAULTFILE variable.

## AUTHOR

This manual page was written by Mike Markley \<mike@markley.org\> and Marc Haber \<mh+debian-packages@zugschlus.de\>, for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others).