diff --git a/weed/mount/inode_to_path.go b/weed/mount/inode_to_path.go
index 1e914dccd..91934a4a8 100644
--- a/weed/mount/inode_to_path.go
+++ b/weed/mount/inode_to_path.go
@@ -31,18 +31,20 @@ func NewInodeToPath() *InodeToPath {
 	return t
 }
 
-func (i *InodeToPath) Lookup(path util.FullPath, mode os.FileMode, isCreate bool, possibleInode uint64, isLookup bool) uint64 {
+func (i *InodeToPath) Lookup(path util.FullPath, mode os.FileMode, isHardlink bool, possibleInode uint64, isLookup bool) uint64 {
 	i.Lock()
 	defer i.Unlock()
 	inode, found := i.path2inode[path]
 	if !found {
 		if possibleInode == 0 {
 			inode = path.AsInode(mode)
+		} else {
+			inode = possibleInode
+		}
+		if !isHardlink {
 			for _, found := i.inode2path[inode]; found; inode++ {
 				_, found = i.inode2path[inode]
 			}
-		} else {
-			inode = possibleInode
 		}
 	}
 	i.path2inode[path] = inode
@@ -62,6 +64,19 @@ func (i *InodeToPath) Lookup(path util.FullPath, mode os.FileMode, isCreate bool
 	return inode
 }
 
+func (i *InodeToPath) AllocateInode(path util.FullPath, mode os.FileMode) uint64 {
+	if path == "/" {
+		return 1
+	}
+	i.Lock()
+	defer i.Unlock()
+	inode := path.AsInode(mode)
+	for _, found := i.inode2path[inode]; found; inode++ {
+		_, found = i.inode2path[inode]
+	}
+	return inode
+}
+
 func (i *InodeToPath) GetInode(path util.FullPath) uint64 {
 	if path == "/" {
 		return 1
diff --git a/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_lookup.go b/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_lookup.go
index d7e6d8a30..7f2821a94 100644
--- a/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_lookup.go
+++ b/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_lookup.go
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ func (wfs *WFS) Lookup(cancel <-chan struct{}, header *fuse.InHeader, name strin
 		return fuse.ENOENT
 	}
 
-	inode := wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(fullFilePath, localEntry.Mode, false, localEntry.Inode, true)
+	inode := wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(fullFilePath, localEntry.Mode, len(localEntry.HardLinkId) > 0, localEntry.Inode, true)
 
 	if fh, found := wfs.fhmap.FindFileHandle(inode); found {
 		glog.V(4).Infof("lookup opened file %s size %d", dirPath.Child(localEntry.Name()), filer.FileSize(fh.entry))
diff --git a/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_mkrm.go b/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_mkrm.go
index 9cf968baf..b23245555 100644
--- a/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_mkrm.go
+++ b/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_mkrm.go
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ func (wfs *WFS) Mkdir(cancel <-chan struct{}, in *fuse.MkdirIn, name string, out
 		return fuse.EIO
 	}
 
-	inode := wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(entryFullPath, os.ModeDir, true, 0, true)
+	inode := wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(entryFullPath, os.ModeDir, false, 0, true)
 
 	wfs.outputPbEntry(out, inode, newEntry)
 
diff --git a/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_read.go b/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_read.go
index 4862167dc..f7cbae7f7 100644
--- a/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_read.go
+++ b/weed/mount/weedfs_dir_read.go
@@ -162,14 +162,14 @@ func (wfs *WFS) doReadDirectory(input *fuse.ReadIn, out *fuse.DirEntryList, isPl
 		dirEntry.Name = entry.Name()
 		dirEntry.Mode = toSyscallMode(entry.Mode)
 		if !isPlusMode {
-			inode := wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(dirPath.Child(dirEntry.Name), entry.Mode, false, entry.Inode, false)
+			inode := wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(dirPath.Child(dirEntry.Name), entry.Mode, len(entry.HardLinkId) > 0, entry.Inode, false)
 			dirEntry.Ino = inode
 			if !out.AddDirEntry(dirEntry) {
 				isEarlyTerminated = true
 				return false
 			}
 		} else {
-			inode := wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(dirPath.Child(dirEntry.Name), entry.Mode, false, entry.Inode, true)
+			inode := wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(dirPath.Child(dirEntry.Name), entry.Mode, len(entry.HardLinkId) > 0, entry.Inode, true)
 			dirEntry.Ino = inode
 			entryOut := out.AddDirLookupEntry(dirEntry)
 			if entryOut == nil {
diff --git a/weed/mount/weedfs_file_mkrm.go b/weed/mount/weedfs_file_mkrm.go
index b679d8178..52e15bc53 100644
--- a/weed/mount/weedfs_file_mkrm.go
+++ b/weed/mount/weedfs_file_mkrm.go
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ func (wfs *WFS) Mknod(cancel <-chan struct{}, in *fuse.MknodIn, name string, out
 
 	entryFullPath := dirFullPath.Child(name)
 	fileMode := toOsFileMode(in.Mode)
+	inode := wfs.inodeToPath.AllocateInode(entryFullPath, fileMode)
 
 	newEntry := &filer_pb.Entry{
 		Name:        name,
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ func (wfs *WFS) Mknod(cancel <-chan struct{}, in *fuse.MknodIn, name string, out
 			Replication: wfs.option.Replication,
 			TtlSec:      wfs.option.TtlSec,
 			Rdev:        in.Rdev,
-			Inode:       entryFullPath.AsInode(fileMode),
+			Inode:       inode,
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -94,7 +95,8 @@ func (wfs *WFS) Mknod(cancel <-chan struct{}, in *fuse.MknodIn, name string, out
 		return fuse.EIO
 	}
 
-	inode := wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(entryFullPath, newEntry.FileMode(), true, 0, true)
+	// this is to increase nlookup counter
+	inode = wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(entryFullPath, fileMode, false, inode, true)
 
 	wfs.outputPbEntry(out, inode, newEntry)
 
diff --git a/weed/mount/weedfs_link.go b/weed/mount/weedfs_link.go
index 99d19cf4d..9468b1fb1 100644
--- a/weed/mount/weedfs_link.go
+++ b/weed/mount/weedfs_link.go
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ func (wfs *WFS) Link(cancel <-chan struct{}, in *fuse.LinkIn, name string, out *
 		return fuse.EIO
 	}
 
-	inode := wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(newEntryPath, oldEntry.FileMode(), false, oldEntry.Attributes.Inode, true)
+	inode := wfs.inodeToPath.Lookup(newEntryPath, oldEntry.FileMode(), true, oldEntry.Attributes.Inode, true)
 
 	wfs.outputPbEntry(out, inode, request.Entry)