GNU bug report logs - #17103
cp: "cp -al" doesn't copy symlinks, tries to link to them

Previous Next

Full log

View this message in rfc822 format

From: Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>
To: Linda Walsh <coreutils <at> tlinx.org>, Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: 17103 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>
Subject: bug#17103: regression: cp -al doesn't copy symlinks, but tries to link to them (fail)
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 05:37:27 -0600

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On 03/26/2014 10:44 PM, Linda Walsh wrote:

> 
> cp has a workaround for directories and it has exactly this
> workaround on other OS that don't support hardlinking.

That "workaround" is behavior mandated by POSIX, and has existed prior
to POSIX even being standardized.

> 
> I don't see why this shouldn't be treated similarly to the
> 2nd case, as the OS no longer supports hardlinking in as
> many cases as it used to -- so why shouldn't it fall back?

It's better to not second guess the kernel; you may want to take this up
on the kernel lists if you want something changed.

-- 
Eric Blake   eblake redhat com    +1-919-301-3266
Libvirt virtualization library http://libvirt.org

[signature.asc (application/pgp-signature, attachment)]

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.