With respect to the hardlinks, here is an explanation cut from a mail from
Paul Sladen (on the list), which I hope he doesnt mind me publishing it...

Inodes contain data.  `Files' (like
`/etc/passwd' are pointers to an Inode number (and therefore the write piece
of data).

A Hardlink is where you create a second pointer to the same numbered Inode
(there is also a reference count on the Inode data).  So the reference
counts go to `2' for that data.  If I create another hardlink the refernce
goes to `3' and there are now three seperate pointers to the same
Inode/data.

If you delete one of those files, all you are actually doing is removing a
pointer (such as `/etc/passwd') and decrementing the reference count back
down to `2'.  So now when you create the file again (say `/etc/passwd') this
will now point at a new inode and a new block of data.

Whereas, if you *overwrite* the contents of any of those pointers you are
modifying the actual data in the Inode--and therefore the data that all the
other pointers see.

Regards - Bill

----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, January 06, 2003 9:32 PM
Subject: [vserver] Delete/Remove a vserver


> Hello, a Linux/vserver newbie here.
>
> I have been looking for a solution like this...almost went with FreeVSD.
> Over this past weekend I loaded vserver and the patched kernel into a
> RedHat 7.3.
>
> Everything went so smooth I think I did something wrong ;)
>
> I have created several test 'vservers'...now how do I delete them.  The
> standard 'rm -R....' commands don't work.
>
> I am coming from a NT background so symlinks, soft links, hard links...are
> still new to me.
>
> I looked up hard link and just link in the man pages, but I didn't
> understand.
>
> Any help or just plain berating would be appreciated.
>
> ezra
>
>

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