Alias

An alias or a soft link is a File ID that several directory entries point to. It looks like a file but is actually only a link to the real file. ODS-5 volumes support hard links that point to the same FID independently and can be deleted independently like files.

File systems

Soft links are supported by ODS-2 and ODS-5; hard links are only supported by ODS-5 systems and need to be enabled to be used.

Creating aliases

To create an alias, use SET FILE file_name /ENTER=alias_name. If hard links are enabled on the volume, a hard link will be created; otherwise a soft link will be created

Deleting aliases

To remove an alias, use SET FILE file_name /REMOVE=alias_name. After the alias is removed, the file will still be accessible. If you use DELETE to remove an alias, the command will delete the actual file (i.e. the file header) and consequently all of the directory entries pointing to its header including the original one. If you use DELETE to remove a hard link, the actual file will not be deleted and all of the references to it will remain functional.