1. Log on to UNIX if needed.

2. Make the file $HOME/machine/year.1900 appear as link.1900 

in the $HOME/exercise directory.

3.Do a long listing of either directory and note the number of 

(hard) links for the file.

4. To verify that both file names point to the same file, use date >> 

to add the date line to the end of one of the file names.  Then 

display the file under the other name to see if the date line 

appears at the end of that file.

5. Create another link to the same file from your home directory.  

Note that all the files show three links.

6. Remove the original file name from the machine directory.  

Check the exercise directory listing and note that the link total is 

down to two.  Remove the pointer in exercise.

7.Check the listing in the home directory.  Note that there is one 

link; leave the file here for now.

8. Create a symbolic link to this file in your home directory. Check 

the permissions on the symbolic link as well as the target file.  

Change permissions on the symbolic link to 555.  Check the 

permissions on the symbolic link as well as the target file.

9. If you have write access to another user's directory, create a link 

to one of your files there.  Ask that user to try it out.


If it doesn't work:

A. Be very specific in the command; some systems require a target file 
name even if your aren't actually changing the file name. 

Questions? Robert Katz:rkatz@ned.highline.edu
Last Update July 16, 2002