Generally speaking, opening a file and modifying its contents should not change its inode number, which only makes sense within a single file system anyway (but it will change the access times, for example). If your goal is to check files for changes, checking the access times and size could be more reliable. Likewise, how can you change the inode associated with a regular file?
So the only way to change the inode number is to copy the file to a new file (which then would get a new inode). The filesystem is responsible for managing the inodes, you can't just "choose" one you like.
Similarly, can two files have same inode number? So, for all files there is only one inode, unless the file is a link. In that case, you have two or more files referring to the same inode. Of course, the inode number is unique only on the filesystem where the file exists. Files across different filesystems can have the same inode number.
Also, what happens to an inode when you move a file?
A inode (directory or file) always resides in directory. The move within file system is simple such that source directory entry is modified that inode is deleted and target directory is modified that inode is added. And the move operation happens in constant time irrespective of the size of the inode.
Can you open a file if you only know its inode number?
By itself, a UNIX file has no name, only an inode number or inum. But you can only access it through an entry in a special "directory" file that associates a name with the inum in question; you can't specify the inum directly. Then the file is actually deleted and its space marked as available for reuse.
Related Question Answers
What is inode number?
An Inode number is a uniquely existing number for all the files in Linux and all Unix type systems. When a file is created on a system, a file name and Inode number is assigned to it. Note: Inode doesn't contain the file name. Reason for this is to maintain hard-links for the files. What information is stored in inode?
Each file is associated with an inode, which is identified by an integer, often referred to as an i-number or inode number. Inodes store information about files and directories (folders), such as file ownership, access mode (read, write, execute permissions), and file type. Where are inodes stored?
The names for inodes (names for files, directories, devices, etc.) are stored on disk in directories. Only the names and the associated inode numbers are stored in the directory; the actual disk space for whatever data is being named is stored in the numbered inode, not in the directory. How do I create a soft link?
Well, the command “ln -s” offers you a solution by letting you create a soft link. The ln command in Linux creates links between files/directory. The argument “s” makes the the link symbolic or soft link instead of hard link. How do you check inodes?
You can use the command “df -i” to check the Inode utilization of your server. Here, the maximum number of inodes that can be created on /dev/vda1 is 1004603. How do you increase inode?
Increasing the size of the volume will increase the number of available inodes. Alternatively, use the maxfiles volname [number] command to check and increase the number of files allowed in a volume. Note: Once the maximum number of files are increased, it was never possible to reduce it, prior to Data ONTAP 8.0. How can I get free inodes?
Free up Inodes by deleting the eaccelerator cache in /var/cache/eaccelerator if you continue to have issues. We faced similar issue recently, In case if a process refers to a deleted file, the Inode shall not be released, so you need to check lsof /, and kill/ restart the process will release the inodes. How many inodes are in a file?
one inode
What is the use of inode?
The inode (index node) is a data structure in a Unix-style file system that describes a file-system object such as a file or a directory. Each inode stores the attributes and disk block locations of the object's data. What are links in Linux?
In your Linux file system, a link is a connection between a file name and the actual data on the disk. There are two main types of links that can be created: "hard" links, and "soft" or symbolic links. How do I change the inode number of a file in Linux?
So the only way to change the inode number is to copy the file to a new file (which then would get a new inode). The filesystem is responsible for managing the inodes, you can't just "choose" one you like. How do I find my inode number?
A file's inode number can be found using the ls -i command. The ls -i command prints the i-node number in the first column of the report. Some Unix-style file systems such as ReiserFS omit an inode table, but must store equivalent data in order to provide equivalent capabilities. What happens to inode when file is deleted?
What happens to the inode when a file is deleted in ext2? But the inode and the blocks where the data is stored are just marked as unused so that this inode number and data blocks can be reused. So you can easily recover the data, with just the information contained in the inode structure. How inode number is generated?
inum or I-node number is an integer associated with a file. Whenever a new file is created, a unique integer number is generated in sequence and associated with the file. This number is nothing but the pointer to the inode structure which contains the meta data of the file. What is Hardlink and Softlink?
The major difference between a hard link and soft link is that hard link is the direct reference to the file whereas soft link is the reference by name which means it points to a file by file name. Hard link links the files and directories in the same file system, but the Soft link can traverse file system boundaries. What is inode usage?
An inode is a data structure used to keep information about a file on your hosting account. The number of inodes indicates the number of files and folders you have. This includes everything on your account, emails, files, folders, anything you store on the server. What is meant by inode?
Inode Definition. An inode is a data structure on a filesystem on Linux and other Unix-like operating systems that stores all the information about a file except its name and its actual data. A data structure is a way of storing data so that it can be used efficiently. What does inode stand for?
index node
What is inode and its structure?
Inode : Its a complex data-structure that contains all the necessary information to specify a file. It includes the memory layout of the file on disk, file permissions, access time, number of different links to the file etc. What is link count in Unix?
Unix file systems keep track of a "link count" to all objects in the file system. This "link count" value is the number of different directory entries that all point to the inode associated with the object. In the case of a regular file, the link count is the number of hard links to that file. How big is an inode?
inode contains total 13 pointers (52 bytes per inode!) Assuming pointer requires 4 bytes, n = 256 • Max file size: (10 + 256 + 2562 + 2563) * 1024 = 16 GB Same max file size: 16 GB. Do directories have inodes?
The attributes of a directory inode apply only to that directory itself, not to the things named in the directory, which have their own inodes. The name of the file or directory is not stored in its own inode. Inodes have only numbers, attributes, and disk blocks – an inode does not contain its own name. What is inode limit for Linux?
Unless you're dealing with a very large number of tiny files, the default number of inodes should be more than enough for most use cases. That default depends on your Linux distribution and filesystem, but for the very common Ext3 and Ext4 filesystems it's typically one inode per 16 KiB of disk space. Where the number of free inodes and data block stored?
Remember inodes stored across all Block Groups. For example, inodes 1 to 32768 will get stored in Block Group-0 and inodes 32768 to 65536 stored on Block-Group-2 and so on. So, the answer to your question is: Inodes are stored in inode tables, and there's an inode table in every block group in the partition. How do inodes work?
An inode is a unique number assigned to files and directories while it is created. The inode number will be unique to entire filesystem. An inode is a data structure on a traditional Unix-style file system such as ext3 or ext4. storing the properties of a file and directories. Where is filename stored in Linux?
In most Unix-based file systems, the filename is stored as a name/inode lookup table in the "data" section of the directory containing the file (that is, the space on the disk where a normal file would store its data). What's an inode Linux?
An inode is a data structure on a traditional Unix-style file system such as ext3 or ext4. storing the properties of a file and directories. Linux extended filesystems such as ext3 or ext4 maintain an array of these inodes called the inode table. This table contains list of all files in that filesystem. Where are inode tables stored Linux?
Each inode is the index to the inode table. The inode table is stored in the logic disk block. Each entry of inode table stores some file attributes, such as file size, permission, ownership, disk block address, time of last modification etc. Both directories and ordinary (non-directory) files are files. Where are inodes stored in Unix file system?
The names for inodes (names for files, directories, devices, etc.) are stored on disk in directories. Only the names and the associated inode numbers are stored in the directory; the actual disk space for whatever data is being named is stored in the numbered inode, not in the directory. 
