NTFS Junctions vs. Symbolic Links (for directories)

directory symlink ntfs junction reparsepoint
user541686 picture user541686 · Mar 8, 2011 · Viewed 7.1k times · Source

From a high-level standpoint (meaning only worrying about the results and the interface, not the implementation), what is the difference in behavior, if any, between an NTFS reparse point that points to a directory and a symbolic link that points to the same directory?

Are they resolved at the same level in the stack, or is it possible for one to be unresolvable at a certain time when the other one can be resolved (e.g. at boot)?

(I'm aware that symbolic links can also work for files, but I'm asking about the directory difference here.)

Answer

qqq picture qqq · Apr 2, 2011

It is known that in network symbolic links are resolved on clients, while junctions are resolved by server. One can suggest, that junctions are more "invisible" for users.

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