Copyright (c) 2007, Sun Microsystems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 1989 AT&T
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#include <unistd.h> int link(const char *existing, const char *new);
The link() function creates a new link (directory entry) for the existing file and increments its link count by one. The existing argument points to a path name naming an existing file. The new argument points to a pathname naming the new directory entry to be created.
To create hard links, both files must be on the same file system. Both the old and the new link share equal access and rights to the underlying object. Privileged processes can make multiple links to a directory. Unless the caller is privileged, the file named by existing must not be a directory.
Upon successful completion, link() marks for update the st_ctime field of the file. Also, the st_ctime and st_mtime fields of the directory that contains the new entry are marked for update.
Upon successful completion, 0 is returned. Otherwise, -1 is returned, no link is created, and errno is set to indicate the error.
The link() function will fail if:
EACCES
A component of either path prefix denies search permission, or the requested link requires writing in a directory with a mode that denies write permission.
EDQUOT
The directory where the entry for the new link is being placed cannot be extended because the user's quota of disk blocks on that file system has been exhausted.
EEXIST
The link named by new exists.
EFAULT
The existing or new argument points to an illegal address.
EILSEQ
The path argument includes non-UTF8 characters and the file system accepts only file names where all characters are part of the UTF-8 character codeset.
EINTR
A signal was caught during the execution of the link() function.
ELOOP
Too many symbolic links were encountered in translating path.
EMLINK
The maximum number of links to a file would be exceeded.
ENAMETOOLONG
The length of the existing or new argument exceeds PATH_MAX, or the length of a existing or new component exceeds NAME_MAX while _POSIX_NO_TRUNC is in effect.
ENOENT
The existing or new argument is a null pathname; a component of either path prefix does not exist; or the file named by existing does not exist.
ENOLINK
The existing or new argument points to a remote machine and the link to that machine is no longer active.
ENOSPC
The directory that would contain the link cannot be extended.
ENOTDIR
A component of either path prefix is not a directory.
EPERM
The file named by existing is a directory and the {PRIV_SYS_LINKDIR} privilege is not asserted in the effective set of the calling process. The effective user ID does not match the owner of the file and the {PRIV_FILE_LINK_ANY} privilege is not asserted in the effective set of the calling process.
EROFS
The requested link requires writing in a directory on a read-only file system.
EXDEV
The link named by new and the file named by existing are on different logical devices (file systems).
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
| ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
| Interface Stability | Standard |
| MT-Level | Async-Signal-Safe |
symlink(2), unlink(2), attributes(5), privileges(5), standards(5)