Working with Links in Linux

Using the ln command, create a symbolic link from the file /etc/redhat-release to a new link file named release in the cloud_user's home directory. Using the ls command, verify that the link is valid. Use the cat command on the /home/cloud_user/release file to verify its contents.

Can be completed with:

ln -s /etc/redhat-release release

ls -l

cat /etc/redhat-release

Using the ls command, first look at the inode number for the /home/cloud_user/release link and then check the inode number for /etc/redhat-release. They should be different, as the symbolic link is just a new file system entry that references the original file.

Viewing the inodes can be done via:

ls -i release

ls -i /etc/redhat-release

Create a directory called docs in your home directory. Copy the /etc/services file into this new docs directory. Using the ln command again, create a hard link from /home/cloud_user/docs/services to a link file named /home/cloud_user/services. Use the ls command to verify the link's inode number, and the inode number for the original /etc/services file.

The commands to accomplish this task are:

mkdir docs

cp /etc/services docs/

ln docs/services services

ls -l

ls -i services

ls -i docs/services

Using the ln command, attempt to make a hard link from /home/cloud_user/docs/services to /opt/services (you will have write permissions to this location). Why does this not work?

To see the behavior of this task, try the following:

lsblk 

ln docs/services /opt/services

Once more using the ln command, attempt to create a soft link from /etc/redhat-release to /opt/release. Why does this work, but creating a hard link fails? Turn the system over for grading when complete.

Creating the soft link should succeed, even across filesystems, like so:

sudo ln -s /etc/redhat-release /opt/release

ls -i /etc/redhat-release

ls -i /opt/release