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SYMLINK(2)                    System Calls Manual                   SYMLINK(2)

NAME
     symlink, symlinkat - make symbolic link to a file

LIBRARY
     Standard C Library (libc, -lc)

SYNOPSIS
     #include <unistd.h>

     int
     symlink(const char *name1, const char *name2);

     int
     symlinkat(const char *name1, int fd, const char *name2);

DESCRIPTION
     A symbolic link name2 is created to name1 (name2 is the name of the file
     created, name1 is the string used in creating the symbolic link).  Either
     name may be an arbitrary path name; the files need neither to be on the
     same file system nor to exist.

     symlinkat() works the same way as symlink() except if path2 is relative.
     In that case, it is looked up from a directory whose file descriptor was
     passed as fd.  Search permission is required on this directory.  fd can
     be set to AT_FDCWD in order to specify the current directory.

RETURN VALUES
     The symlink() and symlinkat() functions return the value 0 if successful;
     otherwise the value -1 is returned and the global variable errno is set
     to indicate the error.

ERRORS
     symlink() and symlinkat() will fail and no link will be created if:

     [EACCES]           A component of the name2 path prefix denies search
                        permission.

     [EDQUOT]           The directory in which the entry for the new symbolic
                        link is being placed cannot be extended because the
                        user's quota of disk blocks on the file system
                        containing the directory has been exhausted.  Or, the
                        new symbolic link cannot be created because the user's
                        quota of disk blocks on the file system that will
                        contain the symbolic link has been exhausted.  Or, the
                        user's quota of inodes on the file system on which the
                        symbolic link is being created has been exhausted.

     [EEXIST]           name2 already exists.

     [EFAULT]           name1 or name2 points outside the process's allocated
                        address space.

     [EIO]              An I/O error occurred while making the directory entry
                        for name2, or allocating the inode for name2, or
                        writing out the link contents of name2.  Or, an I/O
                        error occurred while making the directory entry or
                        allocating the inode.

     [ELOOP]            Too many symbolic links were encountered in
                        translating the pathname.

     [ENAMETOOLONG]     A component of a pathname exceeded {NAME_MAX}
                        characters, or an entire path name exceeded {PATH_MAX}
                        characters.

     [ENOENT]           A component of the name2 path does not exist.

     [ENOSPC]           The directory in which the entry for the new symbolic
                        link is being placed cannot be extended because there
                        is no space left on the file system containing the
                        directory.  Or, the new symbolic link cannot be
                        created because there there is no space left on the
                        file system that will contain the symbolic link.  Or,
                        there are no free inodes on the file system on which
                        the symbolic link is being created.

     [ENOTDIR]          A component of the name2 prefix is not a directory.

     [EROFS]            The file name2 would reside on a read-only file
                        system.

     In addition, symlinkat() will fail if:

     [EBADF]            name2 does not specify an absolute path and fd is
                        neither AT_FDCWD nor a valid file descriptor open for
                        reading or searching.

     [ENOTDIR]          name2 is not an absolute path and fd is a file
                        descriptor associated with a non-directory file.

SEE ALSO
     ln(1), link(2), readlink(2), unlink(2), symlink(7)

STANDARDS
     The symlink() function conforms to IEEE Std 1003.1-1990 ("POSIX.1").
     symlinkat() conforms to IEEE Std 1003.1-2008 ("POSIX.1").

HISTORY
     The symlink() function call appeared in 4.2BSD.

NetBSD 10.99                     July 29, 2013                    NetBSD 10.99