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A hard link is an actual physical entity representing the link. i.e.--data file on a server.

A symbolic link is a pointer to a physical entity. The purpose of a symbolic link is, if the object moves, the symbolic link is coded so no matter where the object physically resides, the database can find it. It requires less administration not having to update locations in files pointing to files that have moved. Symbolic links function similar to the short-cuts in a DOS based operating system

AnswerIn Unix and Unix-like systems, a hard link is a directory entry (filename) that points to the file itself. The operating system keeps track of how many hard links point to a file, so when the last hard link to a file is removed, the file is deleted. A symbolic link is a special file that only contains a filename. The file that a symbolic link refers to may not necessarily exist at any given time.
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Q: What is the difference between symbolic link and hard link?
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How do you create a symbolic link in Solaris?

To create a symbolic link, use the 'ln' command. If, for example, I wanted to link the file /usr/sbin/mycommand to a symbolic link file in my directory called 'my', the command would be: ln -s /usr/sbin/mycommand my Where the -s indicates a symbolic (as opposed to a hard link), and the next field is the target, followed by the link or alias.


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What are the advantages of hard links over symbolic links in a Linux machine?

Hard links do not link paths on different volumes or file systems, whereas symbolic links may point to any file or directory irrespective of the volumes on which the link and target reside. Hard links always refer to an existing file, whereas symbolic links may contain an arbitrary path that does not point to anything.


How do you recognize that a listed item is a symbolic link when examinig the output of the ls -al command?

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What is link in unix?

In most Unix and Unix-like systems, there are two kinds of "link". One is a "symbolic (or soft) link", and the other is a "hard link". Both of them are ways of pointing to a file or program that's in some other location in the file system than where it appears to be. (Another way to think of them is as "shortcuts".)A symbolic link can point to any location known to the system, whether it's physically part of the same file system or not. Hard links are generally limited to pointing to files within the same file system.


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