follow symlink, but not on del

[Andrew Bartlett]

Kervin Pierre wrote:
> 
> hi,
> 
> I would like my samba install to follow symlinks on shares *but* not
> when deletion ( or more precisely unlink? ) is concerns.  In case of
> unlink, then only the link is deleted, not the file or folder it links to.
> 
> Is this currently possible?
> 
> The issue is that generally we use symlinks to place special folders in
> users homedirectories.  Therefore...
> follow symlinks = yes
> was enable.
> 
> A problem arised when the SGI IRIX boxes started putting a "Desktop"
> folder into the user's homedirectory when they log in.  The "Desktop"
> folder had a symlink to the users homedirectory, "Desktop/home" or
> something.  And if a user deleted that Desktop folder, which they did
> not ask for in the first place, then their entire homedirectory was
> deleted.  A few people lost their homedirectory that way.
> 
> That automatic creation of the Desktop folder can be configured away on
> the IRIX box but the fact remains that an application that makes that
> mistake can cost the user his/her homedirectory or other directory
> 
> I would like to configure my samba installation to act as how most UNIX
> platforms act.  That is, if a link is deleted, the resource that that
> link points to is *not* deleted but rather only the link itself is.
> 
> An additional option such as...
> follow symlinks on delete = no
> or similar
> 
> Is this possible?

Unfortunetly no.  Samba does't get a 'delete this symlink' or even a
'delete this hirachy', but instead starts getting requests for file
listings, shortly followed by file deletion requests, starting at the
top.  

This means that the 'delete this symlink' is the *last* command that
samba gets, well and truly after the damage is done.

Andrew Bartlett

-- 
Andrew Bartlett                                 abartlet at pcug.org.au
Manager, Authentication Subsystems, Samba Team  abartlet at samba.org
Student Network Administrator, Hawker College   abartlet at hawkerc.net
http://samba.org     http://build.samba.org     http://hawkerc.net