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symlink(2)							    symlink(2)

NAME
       symlink - Make a symbolic link to a file

SYNOPSIS
       #include <unistd.h>

       int symlink(
	       const char *path1,
	       const char *path2 );

STANDARDS
       Interfaces  documented on this reference page conform to industry stan‐
       dards as follows:

       symlink(): XSH4.2, XSH5.0

       Refer to the standards(5) reference page	 for  more  information	 about
       industry standards and associated tags.

PARAMETERS
       Specifies  the contents of the symbolic link to create.	Names the sym‐
       bolic link to be created.

DESCRIPTION
       The symlink() function creates a symbolic link with the name  specified
       by  the	path2  parameter  which	 refers to the file named by the path1
       parameter.

       Like a hard link, which is described in link(2), a symbolic link allows
       a  file	to have multiple names. The presence of a hard link guarantees
       the existence of a file, even after the original name has been removed.
       A  symbolic link provides no such assurance; in fact, the file named by
       the path1 parameter need not exist when the  link  is  created.	Unlike
       hard links, a symbolic link can cross file system boundaries.

       When  a component of a pathname refers to a symbolic link rather than a
       directory, the pathname contained in the symbolic link is resolved.  If
       the pathname in the symbolic link starts with a / (slash), the symbolic
       link pathname is resolved relative to the process  root	directory.  If
       the  pathname in the symbolic link does not start with a / (slash), the
       symbolic link pathname is resolved relative to the directory that  con‐
       tains the symbolic link.

       If  the	symbolic  link is the last component of the original pathname,
       remaining components of the original pathname are appended to the  con‐
       tents of the link and pathname resolution continues.

       The  symbolic  link  pathname may or may not be traversed, depending on
       which function is being performed. Most functions traverse the link.

       The functions which refer only to the symbolic link itself, rather than
       to  the object to which the link refers, are: An error is returned if a
       symbolic link is named by the path2 parameter.  If the  file  specified
       is  a  symbolic	link,  the  status of the link itself is returned.  An
       error is returned if a symbolic link is named as	 the  path  parameter.
       This  call  applies  only  to  symbolic	links.	A symbolic link can be
       removed by invoking the remove() function.  If the file to  be  renamed
       is  a  symbolic	link,  the  symbolic  link is renamed. If the new name
       refers to an existing symbolic link, the symbolic  link	is  destroyed.
       An error is returned if a symbolic link is named as the path parameter.
       An error is returned if the symbolic link named by the path2  parameter
       already	exists.	 A symbolic link can be created that refers to another
       symbolic link; that is, the path1 parameter can	refer  to  a  symbolic
       link.  A symbolic link can be removed by invoking unlink().

       Search access to the symbolic link is required to traverse the pathname
       contained therein. Normal permission checks are made on each  component
       of the symbolic link pathname during its resolution.

       [Tru64  UNIX]  A	 Context  Dependent Symbolic Link (CDSL) is a symbolic
       link that has a variable in the pathname. The variable is resolved dif‐
       ferently	 for  each  member system in a cluster. If the system is not a
       member of a cluster, the variable is resolved as if it were member0  of
       a  cluster.   See  hier(5)  for	more  information  about CDSLs and the
       cdslinvchk(8) reference page for information about  checking  the  CDSL
       file inventory.

RETURN VALUES
       Upon successful completion, the symlink() function returns a value of 0
       (zero). If the symlink() function fails, a value of -1 is returned  and
       errno is set to indicate the error.

ERRORS
       If the symlink() function fails, errno may be set to one of the follow‐
       ing values: The requested operation requires  writing  in  a  directory
       with  a	mode  that  denies  write  permission, or search permission is
       denied on a component of path2.	[Tru64 UNIX]  The directory  in	 which
       the  entry  for	the  symbolic  link is being placed cannot be extended
       because the user's quota of disk blocks on the file  system  containing
       the  directory  has  been  exhausted.   The path specified by the path2
       parameter already exists.  Too many symbolic links are found in	trans‐
       lating  path2.	The  length  of the path1 parameter or path2 parameter
       exceeds PATH_MAX, or a pathname	component  of  path2  is  longer  than
       NAME_MAX while _POSIX_NO_TRUNC is in effect.

	      Pathname	resolution of a symbolic link produced an intermediate
	      result whose  length  exceeds  PATH_MAX.	 The  path2  parameter
	      points  to  a  null  pathname,  or a component of path2 does not
	      exist.  The directory in which the entry for the	symbolic  link
	      is  being	 placed	 cannot	 be extended because there is no space
	      left on the file system containing the directory.

	      The new symbolic link cannot be  created	because	 there	is  no
	      space left on the file system which would contain the link.

	      There are no free inodes on the file system on which the file is
	      being created.  [Tru64 UNIX]  The operation  is  not  applicable
	      for this file system type.  A component of path2 is not a direc‐
	      tory.  The requested operation requires writing in  a  directory
	      on a read-only file system.

       [Tru64  UNIX]  For  NFS	file  access, if the symlink() function fails,
       errno may also be set to one of the following values: Indicates	either
       that  the  system  file table is full, or that there are too many files
       currently open in the system.  Indicates a stale NFS  file  handle.  An
       opened  file was deleted by the server or another client; a client can‐
       not open a file because the server  has	unmounted  or  unexported  the
       remote  directory;  or  the  directory that contains an opened file was
       either unmounted or unexported by the server.

SEE ALSO
       Commands: ln(1), cdslinvchk(8)

       Functions: link(2), readlink(2), unlink(2)

       Others: hier(5), standards(5)

								    symlink(2)
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