Incorrect “.” and “..” Entry Checks

The directory inode number entry for “.” must be the first entry in the directory data block. The directory inode number must reference itself; that is, its value must be equal to the inode number for the directory data block.

The directory inode number entry for “..” must be the second entry in the directory data block. The directory inode number value must be equal to the inode number of the parent directory (or the inode number of itself if the directory is the root directory).

If the directory inode numbers for “.” and “..” are incorrect, the fsck command replaces them with the correct values. If there are multiple hard links to a directory, the first hard link found is considered the real parent to which “..” should point. In this case, the fsck command recommends that you have it delete the other names.