Subj : Re: has this bug been fixed?
To   : comp.sys.hp.hpux,comp.os.linux
From : baby_p_nut2
Date : Thu Aug 19 2004 07:30 am

Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote in message news:<41236e24$0$7129$abc4f4c3@news.wanadoo.nl>...
> Baby Peanut <baby_p_nut2@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > jignaasu@yahoo.com (jignaasu) wrote in message news:<1238ce7b.0408172312.7d5d5133@posting.google.com>...
> > > baby_p_nut2@yahoo.com (Baby Peanut) wrote in message news:<96d83290.0408170642.60b8e802@posting.google.com>...
> > > > man page for ln says:
> > > > 
> > > >       ln [-f] [-i] [-s] file1 [file2 ...] dest_directory
> > > > 
> > > > but I see:
> > > > 
> > > > # ln -s /usr/local/bin/bash /bin
> > > > ln: /bin exists
> > > > 
> > > > OS version:
> > > > 
> > > > # uname -a
> > > > HP-UX fuckedup B.11.00 A 9000/859 1482525301 two-user license
> > > 
> > > bash-2.01$ mkdir /tmp/bin
> > > bash-2.01$ ln -s /usr/bin/bash /tmp/bin
> > > bash-2.01$ ls -l /tmp/bin/bash 
> > > lrwxrwxr-x   1 rangarc    lang            13 Aug 18 12:36
> > > /tmp/bin/bash -> /usr/bin/bash
> > > bash-2.01$ what `which ln`             
> > > /usr/bin/ln:
> > >          $Revision: 78.1.1.1 $
> > >          PATCH_11_00: ln.o 99/09/02
> > > bash-2.01$ /usr/sbin/swlist -l file | grep /usr/bin/ln
> > >   OS-Core.UX-CORE: /usr/bin/ln                 
> > >   PHCO_20030.UX-CORE: /usr/bin/ln
> > > bash-2.01$ uname -a
> > > HP-UX cherry B.11.00 A 9000/800 1158444626 two-user license
> > 
> > Try this:
> > 
> > mkdir /tmp/foo
> > ln -s /tmp/foo /tmp/bar
> > ln -s /bin/ls /tmp/bar
> 
>   Why would we? That of course fails, because you can not overwrite an
> existing symlink (which is what you are asking with the second ln(1)
> command (i.e. /tmp/bar is *not* a directory, it is a symlink *to* a
> directory)).

So there are lines and lines of kernel code to support a feature that
allows you to creat a filesystem node (symlink) that refers to another
directory path by name and then they write a binary that checks to see
if there is a symlink

lstat64("/tmp/bar", 0x40001920) .......................... = 0
lstat64("/tmp/bar", 0x40001920) .......................... = 0

just so it can avoid using the kernel feature.

>   OTOH, what jignaasu did was *correct*, i.e. he created a symlink in a
> *directory*.
> 
>   Your original example was wrong because you apparently *thought* that
> /bin is a directory, but in reality it is a symlink (to /usr/bin).
> 
>   Please comment on my response to your original posting, instead of
> proposing yet other 'examples' without saying what (you *think*) they
> are *supposed* to do.

.