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.  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

     -n, --no-dereference
	  treat	destination that is a symlink to a  directory  as
	  if it	were a normal file

     -i, --interactive
	  prompt whether to remove destinations

     -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



GNU coreutils 7.4     Last change: May 2009			1






User Commands						    LN(1)



	  treat	LINK_NAME as a normal file

     -v, --verbose
	  print	name of	each linked file

     --help
	  display this help and	exit

     --version
	  output version information and exit

     The backup	suffix	is  `~',  unless  set  with  --suffix  or
     SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX.   The  version  control  method may be
     selected  via   the   --backup   option   or   through   the
     VERSION_CONTROL environment variable.  Here are the values:

     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

AUTHOR
     Written by	Mike Parker and	David MacKenzie.

REPORTING BUGS
     Report ln bugs to bug-coreutils@gnu.org
     GNU	     coreutils		   home		    page:
     <http://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>
     General	    help	using	     GNU	software:
     <http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>

COPYRIGHT
     Copyright c 2009 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	redistri-
     bute  it.	 There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted 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



GNU coreutils 7.4     Last change: May 2009			2






User Commands						    LN(1)



	  info coreutils ln invocation

     should give you access to the complete manual.




















































GNU coreutils 7.4     Last change: May 2009			3