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