Re: Deleting alias files (blocks deleted)

Peter 'EPLAN' LANGSTOEGER wrote:
>
> In article <43A62BED.5E8EFE3B@xxxxxxxxxxx>, David J Dachtera <djesys.nospam@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> >JF Mezei wrote:
> >> Is it normal when one is deleting an alias file that the delete command
> >> reports having deleted X blocks ?
> >>
> >> Shouldn't it report having deleted 0 blocks ?
> >>
> >> (This is on VAX VMS 7.2)
> >
> >DELETE will remove the directory entry and $DELETE the file. The
> >remaining directory entry(-ies) now point(s) to a file that no longer
> >exists.
>
> But only on VAXes. On Alphas it was fixed long ago and deletes the file
> only if this is the last pointer to the file.

Ooohhh... careful, there!

Remember: this "pointers" ("links") bit is new for ODS-5, and is only
true of ODS-5, AFAIK.

> (It is said to also fix
> the backlink pointer FID and the file name in the file header to make
> one of the secondary entries to the primary entry if the original entry
> gets deleted - but I haven't seen this so far !! - backlink pointer FID
> has a random value and file name in file header keeps unchanged)
>
> >You're looking for SET FILE/REMOVE, not DELETE (i.e., there is no
> >DELETE/ALIAS, AFAIK).
>
> Be careful.
> With SET FILE/REMOVE you can still remove the only/primary
> entry and get a lost file then (on Alphas, too).

That has always been true.

The "hard" part is identifying aliases without "turning hand-springs".

Perhaps DIRECTORY/FULL and/or DIRECTORY/ALIAS (new qualifier? - whaddaya
think, Guy?) should include some indication that the directory entry's
back-link FID does not match of the FID of the directory where the entry
was found, in addition to the link count.

--
David J Dachtera
dba DJE Systems
http://www.djesys.com/

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