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LN(1)                                               User Commands                                               LN(1)



NAME
       ln - make links between files

SYNOPSIS
       ln [OPTION]... [-T] TARGET LINK_NAME   (1st form)
       ln [OPTION]... TARGET                  (2nd form)
       ln [OPTION]... TARGET... DIRECTORY     (3rd form)
       ln [OPTION]... -t DIRECTORY TARGET...  (4th form)

DESCRIPTION
       In the 1st form, create a link to TARGET with the name LINK_NAME.  In the 2nd form, create a link to TARGET in
       the current directory.  In the 3rd and 4th forms, create links to each TARGET in DIRECTORY.  Create hard links
       by  default,  symbolic  links  with  --symbolic.   By  default, each destination (name of new link) should not
       already exist.  When creating hard links, each TARGET must exist.  Symbolic links can hold arbitrary text;  if
       later resolved, a relative link is interpreted in relation to its parent directory.

       Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

       --backup[=CONTROL]
              make a backup of each existing destination file

       -b     like --backup but does not accept an argument

       -d, -F, --directory
              allow  the  superuser  to  attempt  to  hard  link  directories (note: will probably fail due to system
              restrictions, even for the superuser)

       -f, --force
              remove existing destination files

       -i, --interactive
              prompt whether to remove destinations

       -L, --logical
              dereference TARGETs that are symbolic links

       -n, --no-dereference
              treat LINK_NAME as a normal file if it is a symbolic link to a directory

       -P, --physical
              make hard links directly to symbolic links

       -r, --relative
              create symbolic links relative to link location

       -s, --symbolic
              make symbolic links instead of hard links

       -S, --suffix=SUFFIX
              override the usual backup suffix

       -t, --target-directory=DIRECTORY
              specify the DIRECTORY in which to create the links

       -T, --no-target-directory
              treat LINK_NAME as a normal file always

       none, off
              never make backups (even if --backup is given)

       numbered, t
              make numbered backups

       existing, nil
              numbered if numbered backups exist, simple otherwise

       simple, never
              always make simple backups

       Using  -s  ignores  -L and -P.  Otherwise, the last option specified controls behavior when a TARGET is a sym‐
       bolic link, defaulting to -P.

       GNU  coreutils  online  help:  <http://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>  Report   ln   translation   bugs   to
       <http://translationproject.org/team/>

AUTHOR
       Written by Mike Parker and David MacKenzie.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright   ©   2013   Free   Software   Foundation,  Inc.   License  GPLv3+:  GNU  GPL  version  3  or  later
       <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
       This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.  There is NO WARRANTY, to the  extent  per‐
       mitted by law.

SEE ALSO
       link(2), symlink(2)

       The  full  documentation  for  ln is maintained as a Texinfo manual.  If the info and ln programs are properly
       installed at your site, the command

              info coreutils 'ln invocation'

       should give you access to the complete manual.



GNU coreutils 8.22                                  November 2016                                               LN(1)