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We have that regular pipes typically It will show you the log per page. The named pipes or FIFO (First in First Out) pipes are a container ready to receive your instructions and is a file so you have to create it:

To put this file in receiver mode you can simply do a

Now this terminal will be "frozen" waiting for messages.
Open another terminal next to the frozen one and type:


The message will turn up in the other receiving terminal and it will go back to the normal prompt


To make the receiving terminal remain in that "listening mode" you can start it with:


As you can see the left terminal will wait for any command or message. You can send regular commands too:


It can be useful when exchanging data between different users etc.

You can also use this in combination with SSH


Remember berserk_pipe is just a file and you can have a look at it with:

the output will be something like this:

Note the p in front it indicates that it is a pipe.

If you have started the pipe with tail -f you need to stop it with CTRL+C
The pipe file can be removed with a regular rm.

So what can this be used for? Use your imagination I will come up with a practical example later...

You can use FIFO pipes to control your mplayer.

then start the concert with whatever file you want to play:


From another terminal you can start and stop the music with:


Works like a charm and how could you ever live without it