FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPUTER

Detailed explanation-1: - symbolic link A special file in the UNIX/Linux file system that permits a directory link to a file that is on a different partition. This is a special file, which has a flag set in the inode to identify it as a symbolic link.

Detailed explanation-2: -Symbolic links are automatically resolved by the file system. Any software program, upon accessing a symbolic link, will see the target instead, whether the program is aware of symbolic links or not. Shortcuts are treated like ordinary files by the file system and by software programs that are not aware of them.

Detailed explanation-3: -A symbolic link, also termed a soft link, is a special kind of file that points to another file, much like a shortcut in Windows or a Macintosh alias. Unlike a hard link, a symbolic link does not contain the data in the target file. It simply points to another entry somewhere in the file system.

Detailed explanation-4: -The difference between a hard-link and a symbolic-link (soft-link) A symbolic or soft link is an actual link to the original file, whereas a hard link is a mirror copy of the original file. If you delete the original file, the soft link has no value, because it points to a non-existent file.

Detailed explanation-5: -Hard links share the inode number, symbolic links do not. With symbolic links, if the original file or directory is deleted, the information is lost, with hard links it is not. Hard links are exact copies of the file while symbolic links are mere pointers or “shortcuts”.