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RE: Cygwin and NTFS Junction Points


 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Frank-Michael Moser
> Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 10:54 AM
> Subject: Re: Cygwin and NTFS Junction Points
> 
> Unfortunately "find -xdev" does not work because junction 
> points also can point to target folders on the same 
> filesystem. Also I meant that using fileutils like cp, mv, 
> and rm should transparently respect junction points and 
> handle them in like symlinks under Linux as I described it in my post.
> 
> At the moment I must pay highest attention *not* to use these 
> tools recursively on junction points or their parents to 
> avoid bizarre behaviour like unexpected vanishing of the 
> targeted files.
> 
> Frank-Michael

>From the links below it seems that windows itself doesn't handle NTFS
junctions points well.  Sounds like another feature that wasn't well thought
out, kind of like NTFS alternate data streams.

"More than four years after this functionality became available, it seems
Microsoft still has barely documented it, and hasn't exposed it in Windows
except in the most cursory way. It is still a far bigger chore than
necessary finding information about this functionality in Microsoft's
knowledge base. Anyone who want to learn about it can only resort to
scrounging across the web. Links on Windows exist, but they are useable only
due to the efforts of a handful of third party tools developers."

-- Frodak

> 
> 
> Corinna Vinschen wrote:
> > On Aug  3 14:32, Frank-Michael Moser wrote:
> > 
> >>Since I have discovered NTFS Junction Points (NTFS 5.0+) I'm using 
> >>them frequently to symbolically link directories in a POSIX 
> conformous way:
> >>The junction points (JP) are transparent to *any* program using the 
> >>filesystem.
> >>
> >>Unfortunately there are bizarre issues related to manipulating JPs 
> >>from the explorer or with DOS commandline tools:
> >>
> >>http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/NTFS%20Junction%20point
> >>http://shell-shocked.org/article.php?id=284
> >>
> >>But there are tools which help to avoid these bizarre effects. E.g.
> >>http://www.elsdoerfer.info/ntfslink/ is an explorer 
> extensions which 
> >>hooks into Windows Explorer, providing extended functionality for 
> >>creating and using JPs on NTFS file systems.
> >>
> >>Now has anybody thought about respecting JPs under Cygwin? 
> Respecting 
> >>JPs at least would mean:
> >>
> >>a) recursively copying JPs (or their parent folders) should not 
> >>recursively copy the content of a JP but copy the JP itself 
> >>(reproducing it at the new location, if possible)
> >>
> >>b) recursively removing JPs (or their parent folders) should not 
> >>recursively remove the content of a JP but remove the JP itself 
> >>(leaving the content of its target folder untouched)
> >>
> >>c) moving JPs (or their parent folders) should not recursively move 
> >>the content of a JP but move the JP itself (leaving the 
> content of its 
> >>target folder untouched)
> >>
> >>Wouldn't this be a valid improvement to Cygwin, at least as 
> an option?
> >>What is your opinion?
> > 
> > 
> > Well... doesn't find -xdev do the job sufficiently already?
> > 
> > 
> > Corinna
> > 
> 
> 
> 
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