how to Link Folders / Directories

Toods · 12-09-2005, 04:26 AM

I am planning my first Slackware installation and I would like to create a symbolic link such that /opt is recognized as /usr/local. Reason for doing this is to avoid having a separate partition for them

I understand the command is:

ln -s /usr/local /opt

(Please correct me if I am wrong.)

My main question is: what do I need to do as part of the installation to make sure that this command 'sticks' for each time I boot?

Thank you,

Bill.

Poetics · 12-09-2005, 04:39 AM

When you make a link (whether symbolic or not), you're actually creating a file that acts like a shortcut to the other directory/file. As such, you don't have to do anything to make sure it stays each time.

90% of what goes into /opt anyway is put there by the user so you can generally force it to install to /usr/local instead, but whatever works for you!

Toods · 12-09-2005, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poetics

When you make a link (whether symbolic or not), you're actually creating a file that acts like a shortcut to the other directory/file. As such, you don't have to do anything to make sure it stays each time.

90% of what goes into /opt anyway is put there by the user so you can generally force it to install to /usr/local instead, but whatever works for you!

Many thanks for the reply.

I guess I could at a later date find the appropriate file and delete it if I no longer required the link.

rkelsen · 12-09-2005, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toods

I am planning my first Slackware installation and I would like to create a symbolic link such that /opt is recognized as /usr/local. Reason for doing this is to avoid having a separate partition for them

Beware.

Slack installs KDE under /opt, so you could have some problems doing this if you intend to use KDE.

Toods · 12-09-2005, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkelsen

Beware.

Slack installs KDE under /opt, so you could have some problems doing this if you intend to use KDE.

OK, thanks for that word of warning.

I think I will therefore just increase the partition size for my root(/) to allow for some installation in /opt.

dunric · 12-09-2005, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toods

OK, thanks for that word of warning.

I think I will therefore just increase the partition size for my root(/) to allow for some installation in /opt.

No, you need not. After you create (symbolic) link from /opt to /usr/local f.E. , all file operations to /opt will "transparently" write to /usr/local.