diff --git a/releng/test_hardlinks b/releng/test_hardlinks
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..8b9658ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releng/test_hardlinks
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# ts 2011.06.27
+# Test the correct handling of hardlinks by xorriso options
+# -update_r and -hardlinks perform_update
+
+export xorriso=xorriso
+export image_file=/tmp/xorriso_hardlinks.iso
+export on_disk=/tmp/xorriso_hardlinks_test_dir
+export in_iso="$on_disk"
+export copy_on_disk=/tmp/xorriso_hardlinks_copy_dir
+export keep=0
+export failure=0
+export next_is_xorriso=0
+
+clean_up() {
+  if test "$keep" = 1
+  then
+    dummy=dummy
+    echo "Kept test area because of option -keep" >&2
+    echo "$on_disk" "$copy_on_disk" "$image_file" >&2
+  else
+    rm -r "$on_disk" "$copy_on_disk" "$image_file"
+  fi
+}
+
+skip=0
+for i in "$@"
+do
+  if test "$next_is_xorriso" = 1
+  then
+    xorriso="$i"
+    next_is_xorriso=0
+  elif test "$skip" -gt 0
+  then
+    skip=$(expr $skip - 1)
+  elif test x"$i" = x"-rc"
+  then
+    # No configuration yet
+    skip=1
+  elif test x"$i" = x"-keep"
+  then
+    keep=1
+  elif test x"$i" = x"-clean_up"
+  then
+    keep=0
+    clean_up
+    exit 0
+  elif test x"$i" = x"-xorriso"
+  then
+    next_is_xorriso=1
+  else
+    echo "Usage: $0 [-rc FILE] [-keep] [-clean_up] [-xorriso PATH]" >&2
+    exit 2
+  fi
+done
+
+if test -e "$image_file"
+then
+  echo "TEST ENVIRONMENT ERROR: $0 : Existing image_file target:" >&2
+  ls -ld "$image_file" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+if test -e "$on_disk"
+then
+  echo "TEST ENVIRONMENT ERROR: $0 : Existing $on_disk target:" >&2
+  ls -ld "$on_disk" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+if test -e "$copy_on_disk"
+then
+  echo "TEST ENVIRONMENT ERROR: $0 : Existing copy_on_disk target:" >&2
+  ls -ld "$copy_on_disk" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Set up $on_disk with several hardlinks
+mkdir "$on_disk" || exit 1
+echo test_content >"$on_disk"/file_1 || exit 1
+echo test_content >"$on_disk"/file_2 || exit 1
+ln "$on_disk"/file_1 "$on_disk"/file_1_link_a || exit 1
+ln "$on_disk"/file_1 "$on_disk"/file_1_link_b || exit 1
+ln "$on_disk"/file_2 "$on_disk"/file_2_link_a || exit 1
+ls -l "$on_disk"/*
+
+
+# Produce simple image
+"$xorriso" \
+  -for_backup \
+  -outdev "$image_file" \
+  -update_r "$on_disk" "$in_iso" \
+  -hardlinks perform_update
+
+# Copy from image to temporary disk tree
+"$xorriso" \
+  -for_backup \
+  -indev "$image_file" \
+  -osirrox on \
+  -find "$in_iso" -exec lsdl -- \
+  -extract "$in_iso" "$copy_on_disk"
+
+# Compare original disk tree and temporary one
+diff -r "$on_disk" "$copy_on_disk"
+if test "$?" -ne 0
+then
+  failure=1
+fi
+
+
+# Check for hardlinks being siblings
+ls -l "$copy_on_disk"/*
+x=$(echo $(ls -l "$copy_on_disk"/* | awk '{print $2}'))
+expected="3 3 3 2 2"
+if test x"$x" = x"$expected"
+then
+  dummy=dummy
+else
+  echo "WRONG: Link count of extracted files is not as expected." >&2
+  echo "Expected:  $expected" >&2
+  echo "Got     :  $x" >&2
+  failure=1
+fi
+
+
+clean_up
+
+
+# Report result
+echo 
+echo "======== $(basename "$0") ========"
+if test "$failure" = 1
+then
+  echo 'FAILURE !!!'
+else
+  echo "Success."
+fi
+echo 
+