symlink(2) - NetBSD Manual Pages

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SYMLINK(2)                NetBSD System Calls Manual                SYMLINK(2)


NAME

     symlink, symlinkat -- make symbolic link to a file


LIBRARY

     Standard C Library (libc, -lc)


SYNOPSIS

     #include <unistd.h>

     int
     symlink(const char *name1, const char *name2);

     int
     symlinkat(const char *name1, int fd, const char *name2);


DESCRIPTION

     A symbolic link name2 is created to name1 (name2 is the name of the file
     created, name1 is the string used in creating the symbolic link).  Either
     name may be an arbitrary path name; the files need neither to be on the
     same file system nor to exist.

     symlinkat() works the same way as symlink() except if path2 is relative.
     In that case, it is looked up from a directory whose file descriptor was
     passed as fd.  Search permission is required on this directory.  fd can
     be set to AT_FDCWD in order to specify the current directory.


RETURN VALUES

     The symlink() and symlinkat() functions return the value 0 if successful;
     otherwise the value -1 is returned and the global variable errno is set
     to indicate the error.


ERRORS

     symlink() and symlinkat() will fail and no link will be created if:

     [EACCES]           A component of the name2 path prefix denies search
                        permission.

     [EDQUOT]           The directory in which the entry for the new symbolic
                        link is being placed cannot be extended because the
                        user's quota of disk blocks on the file system con-
                        taining the directory has been exhausted.  Or, the new
                        symbolic link cannot be created because the user's
                        quota of disk blocks on the file system that will con-
                        tain the symbolic link has been exhausted.  Or, the
                        user's quota of inodes on the file system on which the
                        symbolic link is being created has been exhausted.

     [EEXIST]           name2 already exists.

     [EFAULT]           name1 or name2 points outside the process's allocated
                        address space.

     [EIO]              An I/O error occurred while making the directory entry
                        for name2, or allocating the inode for name2, or writ-
                        ing out the link contents of name2.  Or, an I/O error
                        occurred while making the directory entry or allocat-
                        ing the inode.

     [ELOOP]            Too many symbolic links were encountered in translat-
                        ing the pathname.

     [ENAMETOOLONG]     A component of a pathname exceeded {NAME_MAX} charac-
                        ters, or an entire path name exceeded {PATH_MAX} char-
                        acters.

     [ENOENT]           A component of the name2 path does not exist.

     [ENOSPC]           The directory in which the entry for the new symbolic
                        link is being placed cannot be extended because there
                        is no space left on the file system containing the
                        directory.  Or, the new symbolic link cannot be cre-
                        ated because there there is no space left on the file
                        system that will contain the symbolic link.  Or, there
                        are no free inodes on the file system on which the
                        symbolic link is being created.

     [ENOTDIR]          A component of the name2 prefix is not a directory.

     [EROFS]            The file name2 would reside on a read-only file sys-
                        tem.

     In addition, symlinkat() will fail if:

     [EBADF]            name2 does not specify an absolute path and fd is nei-
                        ther AT_FDCWD nor a valid file descriptor open for
                        reading or searching.

     [ENOTDIR]          name2 is not an absolute path and fd is a file
                        descriptor associated with a non-directory file.


SEE ALSO

     ln(1), link(2), readlink(2), unlink(2), symlink(7)


STANDARDS

     The symlink() function conforms to ISO/IEC 9945-1:1990 (``POSIX.1'').
     symlinkat() conforms to IEEE Std 1003.1-2008 (``POSIX.1'').


HISTORY

     The symlink() function call appeared in 4.2BSD.

NetBSD 8.0                       July 29, 2013                      NetBSD 8.0