how to update a symlink?

dank · 08-24-2005, 01:28 PM

I haven't found any answers to updating a symlink here or on Google or searching apache.org...

Say I've got a symlink in the SSL folder, mapping to the non-secure 'nav folder, set up like:

cd /big/dom/xdomain/www/Secure_Server/
ln -s /big/dom/xdomain/www/nav/ nav

Now, when I update a file in /www/nav/ and look at the corresponding file in /www/Secure_Server/nav/, it shows the updated file's contents but the include on the server is still pulling from the old contents.

Does the symlink have to be removed and recreated each time? I would hope not, or that eliminiates half of the reason for using it in the first place -- not having to update two identical files in two places (the other being to avoid secure/non-secure content warnings if using a shared file).

I read that not using the '-s' switch would make it a hard link and point to the data not the file. Is that perhaps part of the answer?

Dan

**Kevin** · 08-24-2005, 01:35 PM

The symlink does not need to be recreated each time. You are probably just getting a cached copy of the data.

A hard link would work the same as a symlink except that they are a bit harder to manage.

dank · 08-24-2005, 02:02 PM

Quote:

You are probably just getting a cached copy of the data.

Is there any way of working around that? The file date doesn't get updated on the symlink copy, which presumably is the source of the problem. I guess other people might be seeing the proper content, but it's tough to troubleshoot when I can't...

Dan

**Kevin** · 08-24-2005, 02:03 PM

Do you get the updated content if you hold shift and hit reload?

How about if you restart the browser?

dank · 08-24-2005, 11:41 PM

No and no. Even loading a different browser still shows the old content.

(I never got the notification of your reply and didn't check back in until just now.)

Dan

*Rich* · 08-25-2005, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Now, when I update a file in /www/nav/ and look at the corresponding file in /www/Secure_Server/nav/, it shows the updated file's contents but the include on the server is still pulling from the old contents.

Dan, if you use your browser to view
https://secure.domain.com/whatever
-and then-
http://www.domain.com/Secure_Server/whatever
Do you see the 'old' or 'new' content?

dank · 08-25-2005, 01:03 PM

I hadn't thought to try that, but it still shows the old content.

Oddly, when I look at the symlink'd copies of the files (via FTP and the CNC File Manager), their date now shows 8/23, whereas previously when I looked at it in FTP after updating the original file, the symlink file dates didn't change. It doesn't seem to be affecting the displayed content, though... Is there some sort of trickle down waiting period? First the server updates the dates, then it updates the delivered content? I can't imagine how that process would actually operate, since it's somehow delivering content that no longer exists according to the files on the server...

Dan

**Kevin** · 08-25-2005, 01:14 PM

When you get this old data in your browser does the log file on the server register the hit? If you are pulling data from a cache somewhere (like your ISP) then it will either not show the hit or it will be a HEAD instead of a GET.

dank · 08-25-2005, 01:26 PM

Oddly, none of the pertinent include files are being logged, original or copy. That's a new one... I could've sworn I've always seen *.php include files show up in the logs.

Dan

*kitchin* · 08-25-2005, 03:54 PM

An include()'d or require()'d file would not show up in the Apache logs.
Could PHP be doing some sort of evil caching? Just asking.