# Filebeat tail\_files in filestream input

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-tail-files-in-filestream-input/296282>\
**Category:** Beats\
**Tags:** filebeat\
**Created:** [February 4, 2022, 11:28am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-tail-files-in-filestream-input/296282 "2022-02-04T11:28:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![solnicki](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/solnicki/32/99030_2.png) [@solnicki](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/solnicki)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2022, 11:28am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-tail-files-in-filestream-input/296282/1 "2022-02-04T11:28:15Z")

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Hi All,

Starting from filebeat version 7.15 there is a recommendation to switch from `log` input type to `filestream` as `log` is deprecated.

My problem is that `filestream` apparently does not includes `tail_files` config option, which I need because I have large files and do not want to ingest old log lines. Only new ones. With `filestream` there is `ignore_older` option but I need to pull logs from Windows and as docs mention, sometimes Windows doesn't update file timestamp...

Any recommendations? Should I just stick with `log` input type?

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**Author:** ![kvch](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kvch/32/72058_2.png) [@kvch](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kvch)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2022, 1:33pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-tail-files-in-filestream-input/296282/2 "2022-02-07T13:33:03Z")

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`filestream` does provide a similar functionality, but it has been folded into `ignore_inactive`: [filestream input | Filebeat Reference [7.17] | Elastic](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/beats/filebeat/current/filebeat-input-filestream.html#filebeat-input-filestream-ignore-inactive)

Let me know if that solves your problem.

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**Author:** ![solnicki](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/solnicki/32/99030_2.png) [@solnicki](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/solnicki)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2022, 10:04am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-tail-files-in-filestream-input/296282/3 "2022-02-08T10:04:05Z")

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Thanks, @kvch although I'm not sure if this will help. As mentioned, I need to pull files from Windows:

> The setting relies on the modification time of the file to determine if a file is ignored. If the modification time of the file is not updated when lines are written to a file (which can happen on Windows), the setting may cause Filebeat to ignore files even though content was added at a later time.

So correct me please If I misunderstood, but with this setting:

1. `ignore_inactive: since_first_start` remembers time when Filebeat was first started.
2. Sets offset in files that were never harvested at the end.
3. Waits for timestamp of marked files to change - has to be newer than saved value of `since_first_start`.

So if Windows never updates timestamp of marked files, which as we know can happen, logs will never be pulled?

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 12:04pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-tail-files-in-filestream-input/296282/4 "2022-03-08T12:04:43Z")

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