View source for Hard and symbolic links Weight

== n - Create links between files ==
Examples:
*ln file1 file2: Create a hard link named file2 pointing to file1
*ln -s source target: Create a symbolic link named target pointing to source
*ln -f existing_file new_link: Force creation of link, overwriting if it exists

== ls - List directory contents, including link information ==
Examples:
*ls -l: Long listing format, shows link count and symlink targets
*ls -i: Display inode number for each file
*ls -lF: Append indicator to entries (/ for directories, @ for symlinks)

== Hard links vs. Symbolic links: ==
Hard links:
*Share the same inode as the original file
*Cannot span file systems
*Cannot link to directories

== Updating any hard link updates all linked files ==
Symbolic links:
*Contain a path to the target file
*Can span file systems
*Can link to directories
*Broken if target file is moved or deleted

== Copying vs. Linking: ==
Copying (cp):
*Creates a new file with a new inode
*Changes to copy don't affect original
*Takes up additional disk space

Linking (ln):
*Hard link: New name for existing inode
*Symbolic link: New file pointing to existing file
*Changes affect all hard links
*Symbolic links don't use extra space for file content

== Using links for system administration: ==
Version control:
*ln -s current_version stable: Create a symlink named "stable" pointing to current version
*ln -sf new_version stable: Update "stable" symlink to point to new version

Configuration management:
*ln -s /etc/config.default /etc/config: Use default config as current
*ln -sf /etc/config.custom /etc/config: Switch to custom config

Backup and restore:
*ln important_file backup/: Create hard link for backup without duplicating data
*ln -s /mnt/backup/file restored_file: Restore file using symlink to backup location