by wintpe » Aug 2nd, '12, 17:29
Ok a hard link as opposed to a softlink.
If i have a file called xxx and i run ln -s xxx file1 ill end up with a pointer or link to xxx that can be used to access xxx
This is often used to add compatibilty names or make a file appear by multiple names, but its obvios that its a link in an ls -al.
A hard link we create usinf a similar comand, but without the -s.
Looking at it it looks like a normal file.
But again its just a pointer.
Chech out its inode number using ls - ali
Its the same as the origional file.
Why use one over the other, well one can cross file systems, i think from memory and one cant.
Also with a hard link i dont think you can delete the origional file till all the hardlinks have been removed, whereas with softlinks you can.
Ive written all this from memory, so read the man pages to confirm that ive got it all correct.
Regards peter
Redhat 6 Certified Engineer (RHCE)
Sometimes my posts will sound short, or snappy, however its realy not my intention to offend, so accept my apologies in advance.