Pregunta de Linux Administration #019e3987

A hard link is a directory entry that points to the same inode as the original file. When foo is deleted, only the directory entry for foo is removed; the inode and its data remain as long as at least one hard link (here bar) exists. Therefore, bar remains fully accessible and usable.

How it Works

• In Linux filesystems, each file is represented by an inode that stores metadata and pointers to data blocks.
• A hard link creates an additional directory entry referencing the same inode. The inode has a link count that tracks the number of directory entries pointing to it.
• Deleting a file (using rm or unlink) removes the directory entry and decrements the link count. The inode and its data are only freed when the link count reaches zero.
• In this scenario, after creating the hard link bar, the inode for foo has a link count of 2. Deleting foo reduces the count to 1, so the inode and data persist via bar.

Why the Correct Answer is Right

• The statement "foo would be removed while bar would remain accessible" is correct because bar still references the same inode, which remains intact.

Why the Incorrect Answers are Wrong

• "Both foo and bar would be removed" is incorrect because deleting foo only removes one directory entry; bar still exists.
• "foo would be removed. bar would still exist but would be unusable" is incorrect because bar is fully functional; hard links do not depend on the original name.
• "Both foo and bar would remain accessible" is incorrect because foo is deleted and its directory entry is gone.
• "The user is prompted whether bar should be removed, too" is incorrect; no prompt appears because the system does not track hard link relationships beyond the link count.