[OpenAFS-devel] Weird symlink stuff installation instructions

[Nathan Neulinger]

"Timothy J. Wood" wrote:
> 
>    I'm trying to build OpenAFS on Darwin 1.3 (Mac OS X).  The
> installation instructions in the README include stuff like:
> 
>        b. If this source is NOT in AFS space, You must make a link from
>           @sys to your current system type.
> 
>           Example:
>           % ln -s i386_linux22 @sys
>           % ln -s @sys/dest dest
>           % ln -s @sys/obj  obj
>           % ls -CF
>           dest@     i386_linux22/     obj@     src/     sys@
> 
>    What is the '@' doing before the 'sys' in the ln commands?  I've never
> heard of that and it looks like it is contradictory withe the results of
> the ls command.  I assume the results of the 'ls -CF' should include
> '@sys@' instead of 'sys@' since when I do 'make links' I get failures
> on '@sys' being missing.
> 
>    So, maybe this is just a documentation glitch.  :)
> 
> -tim
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> OpenAFS-devel mailing list
> OpenAFS-devel@openafs.org
> https://lists.openafs.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/openafs-devel

You're confusing the ls output with the use of the dynamic-symlink
symbol '@sys'. They have nothing to do with each other.

In afs, the @sys symbol, when placed in a symlink, will dynamically
resolve to the 'sys' name of the machine you are on. In the above case,
it would be i386_linux22.

It does look like the ls output in the docs above is wrong though. 

-- Nathan

------------------------------------------------------------
Nathan Neulinger                       EMail:  nneul@umr.edu
University of Missouri - Rolla         Phone: (573) 341-4841
CIS - Systems Programming                Fax: (573) 341-4216