312-49 Question #355: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

The correct answer is A: 0. In the Linux Ext2 filesystem, every file is tracked by an inode that contains a link count representing the number of hard links pointing to it. When a file is 'deleted' (unlinked), the link count is decremented. When the count reaches 0, no directory entry references the inode a

Submitted by parkjh· Apr 18, 2026Disk Forensics

Question

With the standard Linux second extended file system (Ext2fs), a file is deleted when the inode internal link count reaches ______

Options

A0
B1
C10
D100

Explanation

In the Linux Ext2 filesystem, every file is tracked by an inode that contains a link count representing the number of hard links pointing to it. When a file is 'deleted' (unlinked), the link count is decremented. When the count reaches 0, no directory entry references the inode any longer, the inode is marked free, and the data blocks are released for reuse. A count of 1 means exactly one hard link still exists (the file is still accessible), so deletion does not occur until the count hits 0.

Topics

#Ext2fs#Inode#File Deletion#Link Count

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