.TH readbuffer 1 2001-10-21 chiark-backup
.SH NAME
readbuffer \- read input from devices which don't like constant stopping and starting
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B readbuffer
.RB [ --mlock ]
.RI [ size ]
.SH DESCRIPTION
.B readbuffer
reads data on standard input and writes it to standard output.  It
will internally buffer up to \fIsize\fR megabytes of data, and will
only read more data when the buffer is at least 75% empty.
.PP
It is intended for use in situations where many small
reads are undesirable for performance reasons, e.g. tape drives.
.SH OPTIONS
.TP
.B --mlock
Calls
.BR mlock (2)
to lock the buffer into memory.
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.BR writebuffer (1),
.BR mlock (2)