Using Redhat Linux 8.0, fileutils rpm: fileutils-4.1.9-11. I have observed that the ln -f option does not work as prescribed when target is a directory.
In the following example, a sym link bbb is being changed to point from directory aaa to directory aaaa. When using -f, bbb is not removed/recreated, and no error is reported. Actually, the link is created within the original target "aaa" as a result of the "ln [OPTION]... TARGET... DIRECTORY" incorrectly taking precidence as a result bbb is being interpreted as a directory from following the original sym link of bbb -> aaa. # mkdir aaa # ls -l total 3 drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 . drwxrwxrwt 9 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 .. drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 aaa # ln -s aaa bbb # ls -l total 3 drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 . drwxrwxrwt 9 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 .. drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 aaa lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 3 Oct 4 06:42 bbb -> aaa # mkdir aaaa # ls -l total 4 drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 . drwxrwxrwt 9 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 .. drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 aaa drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 aaaa lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 3 Oct 4 06:42 bbb -> aaa # ln -sf aaaa bbb # echo $? 0 # ls -l total 4 drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 . drwxrwxrwt 9 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 .. drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 aaa drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 aaaa lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 3 Oct 4 06:42 bbb -> aaa # ls -l aaa total 2 drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:42 . drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 1024 Oct 4 06:49 .. lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 4 Oct 4 06:42 aaaa -> aaaa # ln -s aaaa bbb ln: `bbb/aaaa': File exists -- Darren Besler Beehive Enterprises _______________________________________________ Bug-fileutils mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-fileutils
