note 101637 added to function.unlink

Deleted a large file but seeing no increase in free space or decrease of disk usage? Using UNIX or other POSIX OS? The unlink() is not about removing file, it's about removing a file name. The manpage says: ``unlink - delete a name and possibly the file it refers to''. Most of the time a file has just one name -- removing it will also remove (free, deallocate) the `body' of file (with one caveat, see below). That's the simple, usual case. However, it's perfectly fine for a file to have several names (see the link() function), in the same or different directories. All the names will refer to the file body and `keep it alive', so to say. Only when all the names are removed, the body of file actually is freed. The caveat: A file's body may *also* be `kept alive' (still using diskspace) by a process holding the file open. The body will not be deallocated (will not free disk space) as long as the process holds it open. In fact, there's a fancy way of resurrecting a file removed by a mistake but still held open by a process... ---- Server IP: 195.114.0.19 Probable Submitter: 89.228.5.182 ---- Manual Page -- http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.unlink.php Edit -- https://master.php.net/note/edit/101637 Del: integrated -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/101637/integrated Del: useless -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/101637/useless Del: bad code -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/101637/bad+code Del: spam -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/101637/spam Del: non-english -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/101637/non-english Del: in docs -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/101637/in+docs Del: other reasons-- https://master.php.net/note/delete/101637 Reject -- https://master.php.net/note/reject/101637 Search -- https://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php