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arbitron Command in Linux
The arbitron command in Linux allows you to collect and report readership statistics for mailboxes on the server. It gathers information about mailbox usage patterns by tracking which users access specific mailboxes. Apart from that, it also helps administrators identify active readers beyond the mailbox owner. Thus, useful for providing insight into user engagement.
The arbitron command generates reports that summarize mailbox activity. Inside the reports, you will be able to see details like number of readers, users IDs and their timestamps value. It also has an additional feature for pruning the mailboxes of “Seen” state for dormant users. If a user failed to access the mailbox within the specified timeframe, their “Seen” status will be removed. This pruning is crucial for maintaining accurate readership data, since it excludes inactive users from the statistics.
Table of Contents
- Syntax for arbitron Command in Linux
- Different Options Available for arbitron Command
- Examples of arbitron Command in Linux
Syntax for arbitron Command in Linux
The syntax to use the arbitron command on Linux system is provided below −
arbitron [ -C config-file ] [ -o ] [ -u ] [ -l ] [ -p months ] [ -d days | -D mmddyyyy[:mmddyyyy] ] mailbox...
Different Options Available for arbitron Command in Linux
From the syntax provided in the earlier section, you will see that there are multiple options you can use with the arbitron command on Linux. These options are discussed in the table provided below −
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -C config-file | Reads configuration options from the specified config-file. |
| -o | Suppress reporting of subscribers. |
| -u | Report users IDs in addition to the reader count. |
| -l | Enable long reporting (comma-delimited table with mbox, user ID, r/s, start time and end time). |
| -d days | Count as reader an authentication identity that has selected the Mailbox within the specified number of days. The default value is 30. |
| -D mmddyyyy [:mmddyyyy] | Count as reader, an authentication identity that has selected the Mailbox within the provided date range (start date to optional end date). |
| -p months | Prune “Seen” status for the users who have not selected the Mailbox within their specified number of months. The default value is infinity. |
Examples of arbitron Command in Linux
With arbitron command on Linux, you can get −
- Basic Readership Report
- Detailed Report with User IDs
- Long-Format Report
- Inactive Users After Pruning Report
- Custom Date Range Analysis Report
Let’s explore these examples one by one −
Getting Basic Readership Report
If you want to generate a simple report for the “inbox” mailbox that includes the number of readers, excluding the mailbox owner, you can use the following command −
arbitron inbox
Getting a Detailed Report with User IDs
To get a detailed report that includes the reader counts along with the user IDs, you can use the -u option, the example is provided below −
arbitron -u inbox
Getting Long-Format Report
Getting long format reporting is also possible with the arbitron command using the -l option. This report will include mailbox, user ID, read status (r/s), start and end time. The command for such an example is given below −
arbitron -l inbox
Getting Inactive Users After Pruning Report
If you want to prune the last seen state for the user who have not yet accessed your mailbox called “inbox” within the last 60 days, you can run the following command −
arbitron -p 2 inbox
Getting a Custom Date Range Analysis Report
You can also analyze your mailbox activity by specifying the start and end time, including the -D option as well. For example, if you want to analyze your mailbox activity starting from May 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024, you can run the following command −
arbitron -D 05012024:06302024 inbox
In this way, you can use the arbitron command on Linux to perform your desired activity.
Conclusion
arbitron is a Linux command line utility used for tracking mailbox readership statistics on the system. We have explored syntax, options and practical examples of arbitron command in the above section of this guide to gain a comprehensive understanding. By learning the use of an arbitrary command on Linux, you can optimize your mailbox usage and enhance your overall communication efficiency.