hardlink to symlink behaviour [was: Re: MKXORG=yes on Linux: nbmtree: existing entry for `libXaw.so', type `link' does not match type `file']

[Hubert Feyrer <hubert%feyrer.de@localhost>]

On Tue, 30 Sep 2008, Hubert Feyrer wrote:
> nbmtree: existing entry for `libXaw.so', type `link' does not match type 
> `file'

Digging a bit more into this, it's related to the difference in handling 
hardlink to symlinks. On NetBSD, it seems that you get a link to the 
target file these days[1], while on Linux you get a link to the 
symlink[2]. ISTR that NetBSD used to behave like Linux there - is this 
really intended?

FWIW, Solaris behaves the same way as Linux does.


 - Hubert


[1]     % set files="/tmp/f /tmp/lf /tmp/hlf" ; rm $files ; touch /tmp/f ; ln -s /tmp/f 
/tmp/lf ; ln /tmp/lf /tmp/hlf ; perl -e 'foreach $f (@ARGV) { @x=stat($f);printf "mode=%o for 
$f\n", $x[2]; }' $files ; ls -lad $files
        mode=100664 for /tmp/f
        mode=100664 for /tmp/lf
        mode=100664 for /tmp/hlf
        -rw-rw-r--  2 feyrer  wheel  0 Sep 30 13:59 /tmp/f
   ===>      -rw-rw-r--  2 feyrer  wheel  0 Sep 30 13:59 /tmp/hlf
        lrwxrwxr-x  1 feyrer  wheel  6 Sep 30 13:59 /tmp/lf -> /tmp/f


[2]     % set files="/tmp/f /tmp/lf /tmp/hlf" ; rm $files ; touch /tmp/f ; ln -s /tmp/f 
/tmp/lf ; ln /tmp/lf /tmp/hlf ; perl -e 'foreach $f (@ARGV) { @x=stat($f);printf "mode=%o for 
$f\n", $x[2]; }' $files ; ls -lad $files
        mode=100664 for /tmp/f
        mode=100664 for /tmp/lf
        mode=100664 for /tmp/hlf
        -rw-rw-r-- 1 feyrer bedienst 0 Sep 30 13:59 /tmp/f
   ===>      lrwxrwxrwx 2 feyrer bedienst 6 Sep 30 13:59 /tmp/hlf -> /tmp/f
        lrwxrwxrwx 2 feyrer bedienst 6 Sep 30 13:59 /tmp/lf -> /tmp/f