You probably want do do an ls -il to see what really happened. Before you delete test1, do ls -li test[12]/* On Wed, 16 Jul 2014, David Wagle wrote: > I just confirmed that this is what happens. > > method: > > $ mkdir test1 > $ cd test1 > $ echo "a;ljfasldja;ldkfja;sldkfjsd;lfka;;slk" > file1 > $ cd .. > $ du > 4 ./test1 > 20 . > $ cp -rl test1 test2 > $ du > 4 ./test1 > 0 ./test2 > 20 . > $ rm -rf ./test1 > $ cd test2 > $ ls -l > total 4 > -rw-r--r-- 1 david users 33 Jul 16 15:17 file1 > $ cd .. > $ du > > 4 ./test2 > 20 . > > > On 07/16/2014 03:12 PM, Jeff Chapin wrote: >> cp -rl will achieve the same result for directories, I believe. It's a >> recursive copy -- but instead of actually copying data, creates hard links. >> >> >> On Wed, Jul 16, 2014 at 2:14 PM, gregrwm <tclug1 at whitleymott.net >> <mailto:tclug1 at whitleymott.net>> wrote: >> >> >create a hard link to the new file, then remove the old >> >> for directories? >> >> >> -- >> Jeff Chapin >> President, CedarLug, retired >> President, UNIPC, "I'll get around to it" >> President, UNI Scuba Club >> Senator, NISG, retired >> >>