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* cygwinenv.sgml: Add text for `winsymlinks' option.

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* how-api.texinfo: Add text to explain new symlinks==shortcuts
        and the CYGWIN setting `(no)winsymlinks'.
        * how-using.texinfo: Add text that Cygwin now treats shortcuts
        as symlinks.
This commit is contained in:
Corinna Vinschen
2001-03-02 12:05:31 +00:00
parent e03f5f7338
commit 75c566fc64
4 changed files with 48 additions and 9 deletions
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39
winsup/doc/how-api.texinfo
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@@ -141,15 +141,36 @@ Beware: globbing uses @code{malloc}. If your application defines
@subsection How do symbolic links work?
Cygwin generates link files with a magic header. When
you open a file or directory that is a link to somewhere else, it
opens the file or directory listed in the magic header. Because we
don't want to have to open every referenced file to check symlink
status, Cygwin marks symlinks with the system attribute. Files
without the system attribute are not checked. Because remote samba
filesystems do not enable the system attribute by default, symlinks do
not work on network drives unless you explicitly enable this
attribute.
Cygwin knows of two ways to create symlinks.
The old method is the only valid one up to but not including version 1.3.0.
If it's enabled (from 1.3.0 on by setting `nowinsymlinks' in the environment
variable CYGWIN) Cygwin generates link files with a magic header. When you
open a file or directory that is a link to somewhere else, it opens the file
or directory listed in the magic header. Because we don't want to have to
open every referenced file to check symlink status, Cygwin marks symlinks
with the system attribute. Files without the system attribute are not
checked. Because remote samba filesystems do not enable the system
attribute by default, symlinks do not work on network drives unless you
explicitly enable this attribute.
The new method which is introduced with Cygwin version 1.3.0 is enabled
by default or if `winsymlinks' is set in the environment variable CYGWIN.
Using this method, Cygwin generates symlinks by creating Windows shortcuts.
Cygwin created shortcuts have a special header (which is in that way never
created by Explorer) and the R/O attribute set. A DOS path is stored in
the shortcut as usual and the description entry is used to store the POSIX
path. While the POSIX path is stored as is, the DOS path has perhaps to be
rearranged to result in a valid path. This may result in a divergence
between the DOS and the POSIX path when symlinks are moved crossing mount
points. When a user changes the shortcut, this will be detected by Cygwin
and it will only use the DOS path then. While Cygwin shortcuts are shown
without the ".lnk" suffix in `ls' output, non-Cygwin shortcuts are shown
with the suffix. However, both are treated as symlinks.
Both, the old and the new symlinks can live peacefully together since Cygwin
treats both as symlinks regardless of the setting of `(no)winsymlinks' in
the environment variable CYGWIN.
@subsection Why do some files, which are not executables have the 'x' type.