Symlinks and Hardlinks

[root@Localhost home]# touch /boot/abc.txt   -- create abc file

[root@Localhost home]# ln –s  < Sourced file > < destination path >

[root@Localhost home]# ln -s /boot/abc.txt /home/xyz.txt  -- create soft link in home dir and file name is xyz

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[root@Localhost home]# cat /boot/abc.txt  --- check file contain

hello,

how are you

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[root@Localhost home]# cat /home/xyz.tex   -- check symlinks file contain

hello,

how are you

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[root@Local]# ls -l /home/xyz.tex - check full details of file like permission, type, size, etc.

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Feb  6 06:24 /home/xyz.tex -> /boot/abc.txt

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note : we can create multiple symlinks

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ORPHAN FILE : --soft symlink parent file will delete, get the error of symlink file

[root@Localhost boot]# rm -rf abc.txt  ---  delete parent file

[root@Localhost boot]# ls -l /home/xyz.tex

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 13 Feb  6 06:24 /home/xyz.txtex   ->  /boot/abc.txt -- its show -means -ORPHAN

Soft link / symlink disadvantage ----if parent file get delete child file will be ORPHAN

Advantage

1            Symlink can create DIR / Folder

2          We can create multiples symllinks

         Sysmlink can cross the partition

         Symlinks can’t occupy space

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hardlinks ----- Disadvantage

hardlinks cannot cross the partition

Both the file occupy space

Hardlink – types of backup

[root@Localhost boot]# touch /boot/abc.txt

[root@Localhost boot]# ln /boot/abc.txt /boot/xyz.txt  - create hardlink

[root@Localhost boot]# ls -l /boot/xyz.txt ---- check hardlink file

-rw-r--r-- 2 root root 0 Feb  6 07:51 /boot/xyz.txt

[root@ boot]# ln /boot/abc.txt /home/xyz.txt  --- if we try to create hardlink in different portion

ln: creating hard link `/home/xyz.txt' => `/boot/abc.txt': Invalid cross-device link   --- error massage

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

hardlinks cannot cross the partition

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------