Yes, It helped ME.

Thanks a lot

lol

I am a proud owner of Linux Unleashed who was looking for the link command. I can say, yes, you definately helped me.

It seems that you posted the info on Symbolic links a couple of years ago. But if you are still out there, I found it most valuable indeed. For I have run into very similar problems, and I am just diving in and trying to learn. Thanks for the info and keep the humor, it is a life saver.

Here's the output of the man page for ln, thought it might come in handy for all the people who come here for reference (The parent message is my second-most popular here!)

NAME
       ln - make links between files

SYNOPSIS
       ln [OPTION]... TARGET [LINK_NAME]
       ln [OPTION]... TARGET... DIRECTORY
       ln [OPTION]... --target-directory=DIRECTORY TARGET...

DESCRIPTION
       Create a link to the specified TARGET with optional LINK_NAME.  If LINK_NAME is omitted, a link with the same basename as the TARGET is created in the current directory. When  using  the  second  form with more than one TARGET, the last argument must be a directory;  create links in DIRECTORY to each TARGET.  Create hard links by  default,
symbolic links with --symbolic.  When creating hard links, each TARGET must exist.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

--backup[=CONTROL]
make a backup of each existing destination file

-b     like --backup but does not accept an argument

-d, -F, --directory
hard link directories (super-user only)

-f, --force
remove existing destination files

-n, --no-dereference
treat destination that is a symlink to a directory as if it were a normal file

-i, --interactive
prompt whether to remove destinations

-s, --symbolic
make symbolic links instead of hard links

-S, --suffix=SUFFIX
override the usual backup suffix

--target-directory=DIRECTORY
specify the DIRECTORY in which to create the links

-v, --verbose
print name of each file before linking

--help display this help and exit

--version
output version information and exit

The backup suffix is `~', unless set with --suffix or SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX.  The version  control  method  may  be  selected  via the --backup option or through the VERSION_CONTROL environment variable.  Here are the values:

none, off
never make backups (even if --backup is given)

numbered, t
make numbered backups

existing, nil
numbered if numbered backups exist, simple otherwise

simple, never
always make simple backups

AUTHOR
Written by Mike Parker and David MacKenzie.

REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs to .

COPYRIGHT
Copyright ⌐ 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.  There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

SEE ALSO
       The  full documentation for ln is maintained as a Texinfo manual.  If the info and ln programs are properly installed at your site, the command

              info ln

should give you access to the complete manual.

Although the ln command has several options, in the last four years of using Linux heavily at work, I've only had reason to use 'ln -s' and 'ln' with no options. So unless you're trying to pull off something really different, that's really all you need to concern yourself with.

Using the '-s' option requires you to know the difference between a 'hard link' and a 'symlink':

A "hard link" is another name for an existing file; the link and the original are indistinguishable.  Technically speaking, they share the same inode, and the inode contains all the information about a file--indeed, it is not incorrect to say that the inode _is_ the file. On all existing implementations, you cannot make a hard link to a
directory, and hard links cannot cross filesystem boundaries.  (These restrictions are not mandated by POSIX, however.)

"Symbolic links" ("symlinks" for short), on the other hand, are a special file type in which the link file actually refers to a different file, by name.  When most operations (opening, reading, writing, and so on) are passed the symbolic link file, the kernel automatically "dereferences" the link and operates on the target of the link.  But some operations (e.g., removing) work on the link file itself, rather than on its target.  

In other words, a symlink is just a pointer to a file. Say you have a simlink /home/myname/somefile.txt which actually points to /home/yourname/textfiles/yourfile.txt. If you bring up /home/myname/somefile.txt in an editor, you are actually editing the /home/yourname/textfiles/yourfile.txt file, even though it looks to you like you are editing /home/myname/somefile.txt. If you have a symlink pointing to an executable file, then the executable file will run if you type the name of the symlink.

Here's the biggest and most dangerous difference between a hardlink and a symlink: If you delete a symlink, you only delete the pointer to the actual file. However, if you have a hard link /home/myname/hardlink.txt "pointing" to /home/myname/importantinfo.txt and you delete /home/myname/hardlink.txt, you ALSO DELETE /home/myname/importantinfo.txt!! Be careful, a hard link can burn you.

Weirdly, only the root user can create a symlink. Any user can create a hard link. I still haven't figured that one out. If someone knows why, please reply to this message and let me know! :)

Another bit of lore about ln -s:

To make a symlink from /home/myname/some/directory/pointerfile to /usr/local/something/configfile, it's a lot easier to change to the directory where the pointerfile is going to live before creating the link. Otherwise you have to play a lot of weird games to get the link name right.

For example:

cd /home/myname/some/directory
ln -s /home/myname/otherdir/configfile pointerfile

That will create a symlink pointing to /home/myname/otherdir/configfile in the directory /home/myname/some/directory called pointerfile.

However, if you try this instead:

cd /home/myname
ln -s ./some/directory/configfile ./otherdir/pointerfile

You'd think you'd end up with the same thing as in the first example. However, it doesn't work right. If you do an

ls -l ./otherdir

You will see a broken symlink pointing to a non-existent location of "./some/directory/configfile". Note that the current directory symbol './' is not interpreted, it is tacked on literally to the simlink name.

Enough for now, any questions, just reply to this message!

Helped me too!  

Thanks a lot,

linux newbie

Thank you..:)

I was looking for that command too. My books were no use. I did a search on Google and found your post.

Symbolic link has now been created on my server and I am a happy bunny. I think that people who write about Linux are often so close to it, they don't realise what things may not be obvious to new users.

Caroline

Hey! Thanks a bunch...
I've just reinstalled linux (been windows only since 1999) and I couldn't remember the command.. I knew it was called a symbolic link without reading it anywhere, but I just couldn't for the life of me rembember those two letters.. :)

BTW: Great fun reading the text... I know how you must have felt.

regards,
a renewbie

thanks so much! this really helped me

Helped me.  Thanks a lot!

thanks.
I first had to figure out how those things were called.
After the man-page of ln 'mc' helped me out. (Another 2 letter command that is very useful.