The brief answer? Soft links have a separate inode, while hard links reference the same inode as the original file. If you change permissions on the original file, then the hard linked file will reflect these changes, while a soft linked file wouldn't. If you remove the original file, the hard linked file will still exist, but the soft linked won't. Why? An inode contains a counter of how many files reference it, and decrements as references are removed. Once that counter hits zero, the inode itself is released (e.g., deleted). I suggest reading this article, which gives a decent explanation of soft link versus hard link: http://linuxgazette.net/105/pitcher.html
On 5/16/05, Wade Preston Shearer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I have read the man page but am still confused. What is the > difference between hard and software links. I have tested both and it > doesn't make sense to me. Hard links don't seem to be links at all. > > .===================================. > | This has been a P.L.U.G. mailing. | > | Don't Fear the Penguin. | > | IRC: #utah at irc.freenode.net | > `===================================' > > > -- Joshua Simpson http://dataw0lf.org "If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all." -Noam Chomsky .===================================. | This has been a P.L.U.G. mailing. | | Don't Fear the Penguin. | | IRC: #utah at irc.freenode.net | `==================================='
