Path: utzoo!attcan!telly!lethe!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!ubc-cs!alberta!edson!news
From: keen@ee.ualberta.ca (Jeffrey Keen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: Simple System Question
Summary: why link?
Message-ID: <1990Dec20.004224.23286@ee.ualberta.ca>
Date: 20 Dec 90 00:42:24 GMT
References: <15005@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> <1058@toaster.SFSU.EDU> <10978@helios.TAMU.EDU> <1034@tokio.cs.utexas.edu>
Sender: keen
Organization: University of Alberta Electrical Engineering
Lines: 37


John Garnett writes:
>If the /whatever directory does not exist, then the NewUser (nu) application
>does NOT add anything to the /whatever directory.  If WantSymbolicLinks = 1
>and SymbolicLinkDir = /whatever and the /whatever directory does exist,
>then the NewUsers application will create a file in the /whatever directory
>which will be a symbolic link to the user's actual home directory.
>
>The user's actual home directory defaults to /${USERNAME}.  By changing
>"DefaultHome" or "GroupHome" in /etc/nu.cf, it is possible to cause the
>NewUser application to create the user's home directory in some directory
>other than /.  See the online manual page for nu for more information
>(i.e. type "man nu").
>
>As an example of how all of this works, assume that WantSymbolicLinks = 1,
>SymbolicLinkDir="/user", DefaultHome="/u", and the /user and /u directories
>exist.  Adding a user named "test" will cause a home directory to be
>created named /u/test with a symbolic link to it named /user/test.

Excuse me for not knowing, but why would you want to do this.  This 
would make every file access look up the symbolic link off one part
of the hard drive (where the /whatever directory is) then skip across
the hard drive to where the actual directory then get the file.  Wouldn't
it be more effective to store the users files in the actual users directory
instead of under a symbolic link.  Or is the OS smart enough to skip the
symbolic link after the first time and then access the users directory
from the root of the mount?

Just curious.

>-- 
>John Garnett
>                              University of Texas at Austin
>garnett@cs.utexas.edu         Department of Computer Science
>                              Austin, Texas

Please excuse any typo's , vi at 1200 isn't fun.