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    UNLINK(2)           Linux Programmer's Manual           UNLINK(2)

    NAME
           unlink - delete a name and possibly the file it refers to

    SYNOPSIS
           #include <unistd.h>

           int unlink(const char *pathname);

    DESCRIPTION
           unlink  deletes  a  name from the filesystem. If that name
           was the last link to a file and no processes have the file
           open  the  file  is  deleted and the space it was using is
           made available for reuse.

           If the name was the last link to a file but any  processes
           still have the file open the file will remain in existence
           until the last file descriptor referring to it is  closed.

           If  the  name  referred  to  a  symbolic  link the link is
           removed.

           If the name referred to a socket, fifo or device the  name
           for it is removed but processes which have the object open
           may continue to use it.

    RETURN VALUE
           On success, zero is returned.  On error, -1  is  returned,
           and errno is set appropriately.

    ERRORS
           EFAULT  pathname  points  outside  your accessible address
                   space.

           EACCES  Write access to the directory containing  pathname
                   is not allowed for the process's effective uid, or
                   one of the directories in pathname did  not  allow
                   search (execute) permission.

           EPERM   The  directory containing pathname has the sticky-
                   bit (S_ISVTX) set and the process's effective  uid
                   is  neither  the uid of the file to be deleted nor
                   that of the directory containing it.

           ENAMETOOLONG
                   pathname was too long.

           ENOENT  A directory component in pathname does  not  exist
                   or is a dangling symbolic link.

           ENOTDIR A  component  used  as  a directory in pathname is
                   not, in fact, a directory.

           EISDIR  pathname refers to a directory.

    Linux                      24 July 1993                         1

    UNLINK(2)           Linux Programmer's Manual           UNLINK(2)

           ENOMEM  Insufficient kernel memory was available.

           EROFS   pathname refers to a file on a read-only  filesys-
                   tem.

    CONFORMING TO
           SVID, AT&T, POSIX, X/OPEN, BSD 4.3

    BUGS
           Infelicities  in the protocol underlying NFS can cause the
           unexpected disappearance of files which  are  still  being
           used.

### SEE ALSO

link, rename, open, rmdir, mknod, remove, rm,

###

    Linux                      24 July 1993                         2

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