Resolving hard link issues
A hard link is the file system representation of a file by which more than one path references a single file in the same volume.
Using hard links
To create a hard link, use the CreateHardLink function. Any changes to that file are instantly visible to applications that access it through the hard links that reference it. However, the directory entry size and attribute information is updated only for the link through which the change was made.
Note
The attributes on the file are reflected in every hard link to that file, and changes to that file's attributes propagate to all the hard links.
If you reset the READONLY attribute on a hard link to delete that particular hard link, and there are multiple hard links to the actual file, you will need to reset the READONLY bit on the file from one of the remaining hard links to bring the file and all remaining hard links back to the READONLY state.
For example, in a system where C: and D: are local drives and Z: is a network drive mapped to \\fred\share, the following references are permitted as a hard link:
C:\dira\ethel.txt linked to C:\dirb\dirc\lucy.txtD:\dir1\tinker.txt to D:\dir2\dirx\bell.txtC:\diry\bob.bak linked to C:\dir2\mina.txt
However, these are not:
C:\dira linked to C:\dirbC:\dira\ethel.txt linked to D:\dirb\lucy.txtC:\dira\ethel.txt linked to Z:\dirb\lucy.txt
Deleting hard links
To delete a hard link, use the DeleteFile function. You can delete hard links in any order regardless of the order in which they are created.
Further considerations
When troubleshooting hard link problems, consider the following:
Consideration | Notes |
|---|---|
Antivirus software | Security software and antivirus can block access to the file when you create a hard link so make sure it is not blocked by them. |
Security policy | Your security policy should not be blocking hard links. |
Insufficient Disk space | Make sure the drive has sufficient space to download the content. |
Permissions | Check the permissions on the drive and folder of the source and target. |
Configuration Manager |
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