UNLINK(2)
NAME
unlink − remove directory entry
USAGE
unlink(path)
char *path;
DESCRIPTION
Unlink removes the entry for the file path from its directory. If this entry was the last link to the file and no process has the file open, the system reclaims all resources associated with the file. If, however, the file was open in any process, the system waits until the file is closed before reclaiming resources, even though the directory entry has disappeared.
RETURN VALUE
Upon successful completion, a value of zero is returned. Otherwise, a value of −1 is returned and errno is set to indicate the error.
ERRORS
The unlink succeeds unless:
[EPERM] The path contains a character with the high-order bit set.
[ENOENT] The pathname is too long.
[ENOTDIR] A component of the path prefix is not a directory.
[ENOENT] The named file does not exist.
[EACCES] Search permission is denied for a component of the path prefix.
[EACCES] Write permission is denied on the directory containing the link to be removed.
[EPERM] The named file is a directory and the effective user ID of the process is not the super-user.
[EBUSY] The entry to be unlinked is the mount point for a mounted file system.
[EROFS] The named file resides on a read-only file system.
[EFAULT] Path points outside the process’ allocated address space.
[ELOOP] The call encountered too many symbolic links in translating the pathname.