Deal of The Day! Hurry Up, Grab the Special Discount - Save 25% - Ends In 00:00:00 Coupon code: SAVE25
Welcome to Pass4Success

- Free Preparation Discussions

LPI 010-160 Exam - Topic 4 Question 67 Discussion

Posted by Kenda on May 30, 2026 at 05:08 AM

What is true about links in a Linux file system?

Suggested Answer: D

A symbolic link, also known as a symlink or soft link, is a special type of file that points to another file or directory by its name. A symbolic link can point to a file or directory on the same or different file system, as long as the target is accessible. For example, you can create a symbolic link to a file on a USB drive or a network share, as long as the device is mounted or the connection is established. However, if the target of the symbolic link is moved, renamed, or deleted, the link becomes broken and does not work. To create a symbolic link, you can use the ln command with the -s or --symbolic option, followed by the target name and the link name. For example,ln -s /mnt/usb/file.txt link.txtcreates a symbolic link named link.txt that points to the file.txt on the USB drive mounted at /mnt/usb.

The other options are not true about links in a Linux file system. A symbolic link can point to a directory as well as a file. A hard link, which is a direct reference to the same data as another file, can only point to a file and not a directory. A hard link cannot span across different file systems, because it depends on the inode number, which is unique within a file system. When the target of the symbolic link is moved, the link is not automatically updated, but becomes broken. Any user can create hard links, as long as they have the permission to read and write the target file and the link directory.


Linux Essentials - Linux Professional Institute (LPI)

Ln Command in Linux (Create Symbolic Links) | Linuxize

Get Premium 010-160 Questions as Interactive Web-Based Practice Test or PDF Real Exam Format Detailed Explanations Instant Access Get Your Practice Test
17 comments · newest first
FI
Filiberto 20 days ago
True! E is a myth. Hard links are for everyone.
TA
Tarra 25 days ago
E is also wrong. Any user can create hard links, not just root.
MI
Mireya 1 month ago
Exactly! C is a common misconception. Links break if the target moves.
VI
Virgie 1 month ago
I remember learning that C is false. Links don’t auto-update when targets move.
AN
Angelica 1 month ago
Right! A is definitely incorrect. Symbolic links are versatile.
LA
Lawrence 2 months ago
I feel like A is misleading. Symbolic links can point to directories too.
RE
Ressie 2 months ago
Agreed! D makes sense, especially for cross-filesystem links.
LI
Lili 2 months ago
I think D is true. Symbolic links can point anywhere.
BO
Bobbye 2 months ago
Wait, moving the target of a symlink doesn't update the link? Really?
KI
Kimberlie 2 months ago
E is incorrect, any user can create hard links.
EL
Elbert 2 months ago
I thought hard links could point to directories? Guess not!
EM
Emmanuel 3 months ago
A is false, symbolic links can point to directories too.
AL
Alaine 3 months ago
D is true! Symbolic links can point anywhere.
SH
Shawna 3 months ago
I feel like I read somewhere that only the root user can create hard links, but that seems off. I think anyone can create them, so E might be incorrect.
JA
Jackie 3 months ago
I practiced a question similar to this, and I think D is correct since symbolic links can indeed point to files on different file systems.
MI
Michel 3 months ago
I’m not entirely sure, but I think hard links can only point to files, not directories, which makes B seem wrong.
LI
Lisha 3 months ago
I remember that symbolic links can point to both files and directories, so A can't be true.
0/2000 characters

Save Cancel