Attachment 25801 Details for Bug 44074 – file.diff

[patch] file.diff

file.diff (text/plain), 4.92 KB, created by Gary W. Swearingen on 2002-10-15 04:30:02 UTC

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Creator: Gary W. Swearingen

Created: 2002-10-15 04:30:02 UTC

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obsolete

>--- /tmp/ln..orig.1	Sun Oct 13 17:33:39 2002
>+++ /tmp/ln.1	Mon Oct 14 19:42:12 2002
>@@ -41,38 +41,46 @@
> .Sh NAME
> .Nm ln ,
> .Nm link
>-.Nd make links
>+.Nd make soft links (symbolic links, symlinks) and hard links
> .Sh SYNOPSIS
> .Nm
> .Op Fl fhinsv
>-.Ar source_file
>-.Op Ar target_file
>+.Ar to_filename
>+.Op Ar from_filename
> .Nm
> .Op Fl fhinsv
>-.Ar source_file ...
>-.Ar target_dir
>+.Ar to_filename ...
>+.Ar dir_filename
> .Nm link
>-.Ar source_file Ar target_file
>+.Ar to_existing_filename Ar from_alternate_filename
> .Sh DESCRIPTION
> The
> .Nm
>-utility creates a new directory entry (linked file) which has the
>-same modes as the original file.
>-It is useful for maintaining multiple copies of a file in many places
>-at once without using up storage for the
>-.Dq copies ;
>-instead, a link
>-.Dq points
>-to the original copy.
>-There are two types of links; hard links and symbolic links.
>-How a link
>-.Dq points
>-to a file is one of the differences between a hard and symbolic link.
>+utility creates a new filesystem entry which can refer to an existing file
>+.Pq or multiple such entries with the second form .
>+It is useful for maintaining multiple virtual copies of a file in many places
>+while using filesystem storage for only one file.
>+Two types of links may be made:
>+.Nm ln
>+can make 
>+.Em soft links
>+or
>+.Em hard links ,
>+while
>+.Nm link
>+can make only hard links.
>+Note that soft links are also called
>+.Em symbolic links
>+and
>+.Em symlinks .
>+The two types are described following the option descriptions.
> .Pp
> The options are as follows:
> .Bl -tag -width flag
> .It Fl f
>-If the target file already exists,
>+If the 
>+.Qq from
>+file already exists,
> then unlink it so that the link may occur.
> (The
> .Fl f
>@@ -81,21 +89,25 @@
> options.)
> .It Fl h
> If the
>-.Ar target_file
>+.Ar from_filename
> or
>-.Ar target_dir
>-is a symbolic link, do not follow it.  This is most useful with the
>+.Ar dir_filename
>+is a soft link, do not follow it.  This is most useful with the
> .Fl f
>-option, to replace a symlink which may point to a directory.
>+option, to replace a soft link which may point to a directory.
> .It Fl i
> Cause
> .Nm
>-to write a prompt to standard error if the target file exists.
>+to write a prompt to standard error if the
>+.Qq from
>+file exists.
> If the response from the standard input begins with the character
> .Sq Li y
> or
> .Sq Li Y ,
>-then unlink the target file so that the link may occur.
>+then unlink the
>+.Qq from
>+file so that the link may occur.
> Otherwise, do not attempt the link.
> (The
> .Fl i
>@@ -109,7 +121,7 @@
> .Nm
> implementations.
> .It Fl s
>-Create a symbolic link.
>+Create a soft link.
> .It Fl v
> Cause
> .Nm
>@@ -118,47 +130,50 @@
> .Pp
> By default,
> .Nm
>-makes
>-.Em hard
>-links.
>-A hard link to a file is indistinguishable from the original directory entry;
>+makes hard links.
>+A hard link to a file is indistinguishable from the original filesystem entry;
> any changes to a file are effectively independent of the name used to reference
> the file.
>+Unlike with soft links,
>+both old and new filesystem entries become links to each other
>+.Pq and to other files to which either is hard linked .
> Hard links may not normally refer to directories and may not span filesystems.
> .Pp
>-A symbolic link contains the name of the file to
>+A soft link contains the name of the file to
> which it is linked.  The referenced file is used when an
> .Xr open  2
> operation is performed on the link.
> A
> .Xr stat  2
>-on a symbolic link will return the linked-to file; an
>+on a soft link will return the linked-to file; an
> .Xr lstat  2
> must be done to obtain information about the link.
> The
> .Xr readlink  2
>-call may be used to read the contents of a symbolic link.
>-Symbolic links may span filesystems and may refer to directories.
>+call may be used to read the contents of a soft link.
>+Soft links may span filesystems and may refer to directories.
> .Pp
> Given one or two arguments,
> .Nm
> creates a link to an existing file
>-.Ar source_file  .
>+.Ar to_filename  .
> If
>-.Ar target_file
>+.Ar from_filename
> is given, the link has that name;
>-.Ar target_file
>+.Ar from_filename
> may also be a directory in which to place the link;
> otherwise it is placed in the current directory.
> If only the directory is specified, the link will be made
> to the last component of
>-.Ar source_file  .
>+.Ar to_filename  .
> .Pp
> Given more than two arguments,
> .Nm
> makes links in
>-.Ar target_dir
>-to all the named source files.
>+.Ar dir_filename
>+to all the named
>+.Qq to
>+files.
> The links made will have the same name as the files being linked to.
> .Pp
> When the utility is called as
>@@ -169,6 +184,16 @@
> which performs a
> .Xr link 2
> operation using the two passed arguments.
>+.Sh NOTES
>+Soft links require careful use to ensure that the
>+.Qq to
>+filename is used rather than the
>+.Qq from
>+filename, and vice-versa.
>+Their handling by programs is not completely standardized.
>+Some often-followed conventions, notable exceptions,
>+and related discussion may be found in
>+.Xr symlink 7 .
> .Sh SEE ALSO
> .Xr link 2 ,
> .Xr lstat 2 ,

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