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[[!tag open_issue_documentation open_issue_hurd]]

IRC, freenode, #hurd, 2011-07-25

Set an *active* (not *passive*) `/hurd/symlink` translator on a node.

    < antrik> that's strange: the file doesn't look like a symlink in ls output
      -- but it behaves like one...
    < antrik> using firmlink instead of symlink yields less confusing
      results...
    < gg0> how does it behaves like one?
    < antrik> perhaps the symlink mechanism only fully works for a passive
      symlink translator, not an active one
    < antrik> gg0: if you access it, you actually get the linked file contents
    < antrik> it's only ls that's confused
    < antrik> it might be because ls -l uses O_NOFOLLOW, which results in
      O_NOTRANS, so it sees the original file contents
    < gg0> stat says it's still 12264 bytes
    < antrik> stat also seems to use NOFOLLOW
    < antrik> wc will show the "correct" size
    < gg0> ok
    < antrik> if you set it as passive translator, it works as expected... but
      then you better don't forget removing it, as it won't go away after a
      reboot :-)
    < antrik> but as I said, you can just ignore the weirdness -- or use
      firmlink instead
    < antrik> the thing is, if symlink is set as a passive translator, the
      filesystem handles it specially, so it really looks like a symlink to
      programs using NOFOLLOW. that's not the case with an active symlink... so
      programs using NOFOLLOW simply do not see the active symlink at all
    < antrik> firmlink OTOH ignores NOFOLLOW, so you always see the linked-to
      file

  * [[hurd/translator/short-circuiting]]