4 ms·

If the file system implements copy-on-write, wouldn't a hard link even preserve the original file if the file is edited through the original inode?

• CyberShadow 5y ago
  Copy-on-write and hard links are different things. A file clone would, though (as in cp --reflink).
  • LaputanMachine 5y ago
    So if I understand correctly, copy-on-write is implemented using hard links, but the existence of hard links alone doesn't constitute CoW.
    • andruby 5y ago
      You can also have hard links on non CoW filesystems (eg ext3). I assume hard links exists on most filesystems
      • xorcist 5y ago
        Where there is a filename there is a hard link, so that's true in a trivial sense.
        • andruby 5y ago
          Right, indeed. I guess I was thinking about the functionality of having multiple hard links point to the same “file” (inode)