Uses the diff command to find differences in very large files.
bdiff { File1 | - } { File2 | - } [ Number ] [ -s ]
The bdiff command compares the files specified by the File1 and File2 parameters and writes information about their differing lines to standard output. If either file name is - (minus), the bdiff command reads standard input. The bdiff command is used like the diff command to find lines that must be changed in two files to make them identical. The primary purpose of this command is to permit processing of files that are too large for the diff command.
The bdiff command ignores lines common to the beginning of both files, splits the remainder of each file into segments of Number lines each, and calls the diff command to compare the corresponding segments. In some cases, the 3500 line default for the Number parameter is too large for the diff command. If the diff command fails, specify a smaller value for the Number parameter and try again.
The output of the bdiff command has the same format as that of the diff command. The bdiff command adjusts line numbers to account for the segmenting of the files. Note that because of the file segmenting, the bdiff command does not necessarily find the smallest possible set of file differences.
| -s | Suppresses error messages from the bdiff command. (Note that the -s flag does not suppress error messages from the diff command). |
To display the differences between the chap1 file and the chap1.bak file:
bdiff chap1 chap1.bak
| /usr/bin/bdiff | Contains the bdiff command. |
The diff command.
Files Overview in AIX 5L Version 5.1 System User's Guide: Operating System and Devices.
Input and Output Redirection Overview in AIX 5L Version 5.1 System User's Guide: Operating System and Devices.