[NTLUG:Discuss] symbolic links

[Joel Sinor]

No, the hard link essentially is another reference to the file, in otehr
words it *is* the file.  So if a hard link exists, the file exists.


On Wed, 16 Apr 2003 10:43:24 -0500
Fred James <fredjame at concentric.net> wrote:

> Eric Schnoebelen wrote:
> 
> >"Darin W. Smith" writes:
> >- As long as it is a *symbolic* link, rm will just remove the link
> >- (don't do that on hard links though, because a hard link is really
> >- the original file)
> >
> >	Actually, even as a hard link, rm(1) will just remove
> >that name for the file.
> >
> >	When the last link to the file is removed, then the file's
> >space is deallocated, and the inode removed.
> >
> >	So, if you have a file with multiple hard links (the
> >space efficent way to do it) the file will remain as long as one
> >hard link exists.
> >
> >--
> >Eric Schnoebelen		eric at cirr.com		http://www.cirr.com
> >	    Ignorant people in preppy clothes are more dangerous
> >	      to America than oil embargos.  -- V. S. Naipaul
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >https://ntlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >
> >
> >  
> >
> My understanding of links - please correct me were I may stray - and a
> 
> question, please:
> (1) When creating a link, no new file is created.
>      (a) "hardlinkname" is only an alias for the same inode as the 
> original file.
>      (b) "symboliclinkname" (sometimes called "soft link") points to
>      the 
> original inode, and has its own inode.
>      (c) The "space savings" of a hard link is that it has no inode of
>      
> its own.
> (2) Soft links can remain after the original file is deleted, and 
> therefore point to nothing
>      (b) Can hard links do the same?
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> -- 
> "It's not nice to fool Mother OS." --anonymous
> 
> 
> 
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