It’s only taken me over ten years using xplorer² to summon the courage to create my first hard link. I was motivated by the desire leave a file where I originally created it, but to also have in a different folder that gets backed up more often. After extensive Internet research I’m still confused about what might happen in certain situations.
What happens the original data if I delete one of them? I’m getting the impression nothing happens till you delete the last hard link, but it doesn’t warn you when this is about to happen, so you have to keep track of how many you’ve created on your own.
Can I rename or move one of them around? I’m using one of the hard links to back the file up and I wouldn’t mind naming it differently so I know when I delete the last one.
Symbolic links seem to do the same thing, but I couldn’t figure out why they are different, other than I think they can do folders.
I created my first hard link and have a few questions
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- pschroeter
- Silver Member
- Posts: 283
- Joined: 2007 Jan 27, 00:46
Re: I created my first hard link and have a few questions
I have a few blog articles about links
www.zabkat.com/blog/11Feb07.htm
www.zabkat.com/blog/20Feb11-symbolic-links.htm
basically hard links should be the most robust, surviving renames, moving and editing, but in reality many editors destroy them
www.zabkat.com/blog/21Sep08-save-files- ... mments.htm
symbolic links on the other hand will have a problem if you move the "real" file someplace else, just like a windows shortcut
www.zabkat.com/blog/11Feb07.htm
www.zabkat.com/blog/20Feb11-symbolic-links.htm
basically hard links should be the most robust, surviving renames, moving and editing, but in reality many editors destroy them
www.zabkat.com/blog/21Sep08-save-files- ... mments.htm
symbolic links on the other hand will have a problem if you move the "real" file someplace else, just like a windows shortcut