Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!labrea!aurora!ames!hc!beta!cmcl2!brl-adm!adm!rbj@icst-cmr.arpa
From: rbj@icst-cmr.arpa (Root Boy Jim)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Symbolic Links
Message-ID: <9425@brl-adm.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 21-Sep-87 23:28:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-adm.9425
Posted: Mon Sep 21 23:28:18 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 24-Sep-87 00:42:17 EDT
Sender: news@brl-adm.ARPA
Lines: 32


   From: Eduardo Krell <ekrell@hector..uucp>
   > is Chris Torek

   >If you wish to treat all path names as strings before attempting to
   >apply them to the file system itself, and resolve `..' as `up one
   >level'

   But isn't this EXACTLY what's done when the ".." is at a mount point?.
   The .. entry at the root of the mounted file system points to the root
   directory of the file system (i-node 2), yet when you "cd ..", you get
   to a different place.

I'm reluctant to prolong this discussion, but this is one point I haven't
seen addressed so far. I suppose it all depends on your viewpoint.

When you are in the root directory of a mounted file system, you are
really in *two* directorys, the leaf on the mounted-on file system, and
the root of the mounted filesystem. The kernel interprets all path names
but `..' relative to the mounted file system, and interprets `..' relative
to the leaf of the mounted on file system.

Those of you old enuf to remember Version 6 will remember that
`cd /usr; cd ..' left you in /usr. Do you really want this? I think not.

       Eduardo Krell                   AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill

       {ihnp4,seismo,ucbvax}!ulysses!ekrell

	(Root Boy) Jim Cottrell	<rbj@icst-cmr.arpa>
	National Bureau of Standards
	Flamer's Hotline: (301) 975-5688