[macOS] How To Create Hardlinks

Support for Synology NAS, QNAP NAS and other Embedded Linux systems
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Stewart
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[macOS] How To Create Hardlinks

Post by Stewart »

Hi

Cannot seem to find any tutorial explaining how to create hardlinks in filebot?

What I am trying to do is Hardlink? to music track on single release in Plex and put hardlink into album.
One problem if I can get this to work is what about metadata needs to be different from single metadata

Hope this makes seanse?

Any help would be appreciated.

Stewart
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rednoah
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Re: How To Create Hardlinks

Post by rednoah »

Stewart wrote: 15 Jan 2025, 20:44 What I am trying to do is Hardlink? to music track on single release in Plex and put hardlink into album.
Select Icon Hardlink in the Icon Settings and then click the Icon big Hardlink button in the middle of the application. Otherwise business as usual. Make sure to watch the Getting Started video tutorials if you have not done so already.

Screenshot




Stewart wrote: 15 Jan 2025, 20:44 One problem if I can get this to work is what about metadata needs to be different from single metadata
:?: Do you mean ID3 metadata that is embedded in the file content itself? Different ID3 tags for different files in different locations?


:idea: You can use hardlink if you want the same file at multiple file paths. If you make changes to this one single file (that may be accessible via multiple file paths) then this one single file will have changed at all file paths. You therefore cannot use hardlinks if you want different files at different file paths.


:idea: If you're using macOS / APFS or Linux / BTRFS then copy-on-write clones / reflinks may be the solution you're looking for. That way you can deduplicate most of the file content while still allowing for files to be different in some places.
:idea: Please read the FAQ and How to Request Help.
Stewart
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Joined: 08 May 2024, 06:44

Re: How To Create Hardlinks

Post by Stewart »

Hi Rednoah,

Tried what you said got error "no match to rename. <please load file> and <fetch data> first" ?
Don't need to rename file just want to create a "hardlink"?
Yes already watched "getting started" video was no help?

Just to clarify the scenerio
I have one copy of an mp3 music file for the single release but this file appears on many album releases so want to create "hardlinks" from all albums releases to single release.

As regards to the comment about the id3 tag(metadata), I presume that if I change id3 tag in "hardlink" the source file will change as well, and vice-versa?

Regards
Stewart
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rednoah
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Re: How To Create Hardlinks

Post by rednoah »

Stewart wrote: 18 Jan 2025, 20:12 Don't need to rename file just want to create a "hardlink"?
:?: Where do you want the new hardlink to go? What file name do you want the new hardlink to have?
Screenshot

:?: What do you see when you watch How do I organize files for Plex? at 0:54. Because I see FileBot creating hardlinks. But perhaps mean to do something different?




:?: Perhaps you mean to say you already have the same file in multiple locations and now you want to find all the duplicates and replace them with hardlinks to save storage space?


Stewart wrote: 18 Jan 2025, 20:12 As regards to the comment about the id3 tag(metadata), I presume that if I change id3 tag in "hardlink" the source file will change as well, and vice-versa?
Yes, as both files are the original file. Every "file" that you think of as "file" is actually a "hardlink". If you create an additional "hardlink" for a "file" then that new "file" is equally the original file.
Screenshot
:idea: Please read the FAQ and How to Request Help.
Stewart
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Re: How To Create Hardlinks

Post by Stewart »

Hi Rednoah,

Thanks for everything but my synology file system does not support "Hardlinks"

Guess I will just have waste space LOL

Stewart
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rednoah
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Re: How To Create Hardlinks

Post by rednoah »

Stewart wrote: 21 Jan 2025, 20:30 Thanks for everything but my synology file system does not support "Hardlinks"
:?: What makes you think that hardlinks are not supported on your Synology NAS machine? Screenshots? Which file system are you using?


:arrow: Synology NAS is a standard Linux system that uses either ext4 or btrfs as file system, so hardlinks are definitely fundamentally supported. Note that we don't know what you're doing so we don't know what exactly you're trying to do that's not working, and thus cannot guess what the actually issue at hand might actually be due to lack of information.
:idea: Please read the FAQ and How to Request Help.
Stewart
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Re: How To Create Hardlinks

Post by Stewart »

Hi Rednoah,

My file format is EXT3 which apparently does NOT support hardlinks?

Have not got a clue how to upload my screen shot even after reading the "Screenshots" link.

Is there any other way.

Stewart
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rednoah
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Re: How To Create Hardlinks

Post by rednoah »

:?: What makes you think that ext3 / ext4 does not support hardlinks? Presumably, you have tried something and then got some error message? What did you see?



EDIT:

As for screenshots, you just go to snipboard.io and follow the instructions, take a screenshot, paste it on snipboard.io, and lastly copy & paste the URL address of the screenshot here so that we can click on it to view the screenshot as well. I cannot really add more to that. I don't know where you could have gotten stuck.
:idea: Please read the FAQ and How to Request Help.
Stewart
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Re: How To Create Hardlinks

Post by Stewart »

Hi rednoah,

Please find screenshot below

Screenshot
https://snipboard.io/4WmAxf.jpg

That was embarrising lol!

Stewart
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rednoah
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Re: How To Create Hardlinks

Post by rednoah »

:!: You are using macOS. The macOS implementation of the SMB network file system does not implement the Unix extensions and thus cannot create hardlinks remotely. This is solely a macOS limitation.

:idea: If you can use Windows, then I would recommend using Windows instead since Windows - oddly enough - does implement the Unix extensions and thus does allow you to create hardlinks remotely. Alternatively, if you must macOS then you could try to use NFS instead of SMB.



EDIT:

:idea: A more tech-savvy user may also consider running FileBot locally on device (either via SSH command-line or docker WebUI) to then create hardlinks locally. This possible solution is likely not for the OP but I'm adding it anyway for the next reader. If you have a Windows device, then just using Windows is definitely the easiest solution.
:idea: Please read the FAQ and How to Request Help.
Stewart
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Joined: 08 May 2024, 06:44

Re: [macOS] How To Create Hardlinks

Post by Stewart »

Hi rednoah,

Thanks for your help on this error.

Hardlinks not going to work for me because cannot have different id3 tag for singles release and album releases with the same source file.

Stewart
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