Hello nicephotog,

I apologise for this belated reply.
Thank you for the follow up

1. You talk about switches in the command line and commands which could use a switch to follow a link and act on it.

> If the behavior was to follow or create linked "SYMLINK" directories

OK this is plausible but I fail to understand why a SW Backup App, which should be designed to save and protect data, should leave links of this type around in a directory, in particular /tmp and have commands/processes still in memory and able to delete remote data without warning.

If the behavior was to follow or create linked "SYMLINK" directories or symlinks in the directory for the command issued then it would destroy not only during the current delete command issued on the folder but everything within the symlinked folders in the folder being deleted.

Without any warning and used by a backup SW ?
Correct me if I am wrong but usually Symlinks are soft links and deleting the link does not delete the remote data. It creates an orphaned link.
Therefore it would seem that there was some special command which was active and was an error and a hefty one or there is something else which I have not yet understood.

"Symlinks have two main behaviors", 1. to attain a direct channel to another folder
2. Two imply the contents of a symlinked directory is part of the folder containing the link as though it were in it physically. [note: rightclick the folder and look at the permissions , the special settings "sticky" ].
"Symlink" term is short for Symbolic Link a file/folder icon usually has a small arrow curling from the bottom right corner to show it is a link.
...Recursively... Is when you have a folder present with a link to another folder thathas a link back to the original folder in it somewhere, ...is the easiest way to explain that.

When issuing a command to create a symlink you can use aswitch thatwill control some of that behavior,also when deleting a symlink file, you need to name to it to "not be recursive" when you delete it.

Usually symlinks [ln -s] as defined do not by definition alter the folders/files to which they refer or at least not on their own. Or am I missing something ?
Of course a custom script could do anything if desired; however my point or concern is that it seems absurd to have a SW which creates a situation where the deletion of folders or files in the /tmp can remove the very files which it is meant to protect/save/backup on remote locations.

You should email the programmers of your backup application and tell them what had occurred, its probably the way these folders are set.

In fact this is planned however I am hoping to try and recreate the situation in the lab so that I can understand what really was/is happening.

If you have any comments I would be be interested in reading them
Thank you