From: jason_zions AT interix DOT com (Jason Zions)
Subject: RE: b19,20: ln -d  - hard links .. ?
13 Nov 1998 09:30:44 -0800
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To: "'Alex Madarasz'" <madarasz AT erols DOT com>, gnu-win32 AT cygnus DOT com

Unfortunately, the NTFS v3 reparse point mechanism is pretty weak (only one
reparse client can intercept a given reparse point) and the "symbolic link"
mechanism does not follow UNIX semantics (when encountering a symbolic link
reparse point on a remote fileserver, the remote server interprets the link
rather than passing the link contents back to the client for local
interpretation).

The limitations on NTFSv3 reparse points are sufficiently severe that they
can't safely be used to provide real UNIX-style symlinks. Very depressing.

Jason

-----Original Message-----
From: Alex P. Madarasz, Jr. [mailto:madarasz AT erols DOT com]
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 1998 3:01 AM

> NTFS supports hard links. The only exposed Win32 interface to them is
> BackupWrite, as you describe.

Until you get to NT5, thankfully, where MS has _finally_ added a Win32 call
for 
hard links, and where reparse points hold the promise of even "better" 
emulation of Unix-like filesystem features.  See the November MSJ :

 <http://www.microsoft.com/msj/1198/NTFS/NTFS.htm>
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