Recursive `rm'; what is its symlink policy? [SOLVED]

gentsquash · Last edited by gentsquash on Tue Aug 30, 2005 8:36 pm; edited 2 times in total

This may be implicit in (man "rm"); I don't see it explicitly.

Does `rm' simply NOT follow symlinks? (I did some testing, and
this seems to be the case.) Or does it have some
more-complicated rule which looks at the symlink-target?

[Aside: Is the following to be considered a Bug?: Although
(man "cp") is detailed on how it handles symlinks in
recursive-copies, the `scp' man-page is taciturn in the
extreme...

I sure wish that `scp' had the same recursive-copy options
that `cp' has.]
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adaptr · Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2004 5:18 pm Post subject:

No, rm does not follow symlinks; it should not, as a symlink is a "jump" from one location in the filesystem to another.
Rm just deletes the direct contents of directories - for a symlinked directory, that is the symlink itself.

More technically, it recursively removes all inodes and their dependants; since the inodes for a symlinked directory are not referenced by the symlink itself (they are referenced by the inode the symlink points to), they are not removed.
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gentsquash · Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2004 7:19 pm Post subject:

Thank you adaptr.

What is Linus's telephone number, so I can get him moving on this
`scp' improvement... ?
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adaptr · Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 11:49 am Post subject:

Linus Torvalds has nothing to do with scp - or with the 2.6 kernel, for that matter.
How about you try to improve it yourself ?
It is not called open source for nothing...
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>>> emerge (3 of 7) mcse/70-293 to /
Essential tools: gentoolkit eix profuse screen

gentsquash · Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 10:55 pm Post subject:

Agreed on the Open Source. Any little contributions I have made
have been on easier stuff; emacs-lisp code for simple functions.
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