(coreutils.info.gz) Special file types

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 12 Special file types
 *********************
 
 This chapter describes commands which create special types of files (and
 'rmdir', which removes directories, one special file type).
 
    Although Unix-like operating systems have markedly fewer special file
 types than others, not _everything_ can be treated only as the
 undifferentiated byte stream of "normal files".  For example, when a
 file is created or removed, the system must record this information,
 which it does in a "directory"--a special type of file.  Although you
 can read directories as normal files, if you're curious, in order for
 the system to do its job it must impose a structure, a certain order, on
 the bytes of the file.  Thus it is a "special" type of file.
 
    Besides directories, other special file types include named pipes
 (FIFOs), symbolic links, sockets, and so-called "special files".
 

Menu

 
* link invocation             Make a hard link via the link syscall
* ln invocation               Make links between files.
* mkdir invocation            Make directories.
* mkfifo invocation           Make FIFOs (named pipes).
* mknod invocation            Make block or character special files.
* readlink invocation         Print value of a symlink or canonical file name.
* rmdir invocation            Remove empty directories.
* unlink invocation           Remove files via the unlink syscall
 

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