Summary: file permission question

From: mckinney (mckinney@kreative.net)
Date: Wed Jul 01 1998 - 18:07:30 CDT


My Original Question was as follows

> I have a file in particular sendmail with the following permissions
>
> -r-sr-x--x and I can't seem to delete this file even as root because it
> says the file not found...
>

Thanx to the following people in no particular for their suggestions

Geoff Weller weller@larc.nasa.gov
Marc L. Herbert, Ph.D. marc.herbert@lmco.com
Adam Forsyth forsytad@martin.luther.edu
Matt Massie massie@npg.wustl.edu
Jack Goldsmith jackg@calfp.com
Matthew Stier Matthew.Stier@tddny.fujitsu.com
Daniel T Pigg piggd@colltech.com
Andrew M Townsend ATOWNSEND@DOLETA.GOV
                                foster@bial1.ucsd.edu
Igor Schein igor@txc.com
Ian Wallace iwallace@bcoe.bm
Ackerson, Greg ackerson_ga@nns.com
                                HCDEB@mead.com
                                Robert.Harris@gwl.com
Charlie Mengler charliem@anchorchips.com

Solutions and other questions in no particular order:
1. RTFM

2. The file might have non-printing characters in the file name, which means
the name must be enclosed in quotes (")
--> I checked this way not very helpful but was a good start

3. try: chmod o+w <filename> / rm <filename>
--> I tried this and it wouldnt let me.

4. Is this file a symbolic link pointing to a file that no longer exists?
--> No this was not a symbolic link. this is what I 1st thought but it
turned out to be
--> an SUID, SGID on futher digging

5. Did you do an fsck?
--> didnt want to do this on a production machine during working hours.

6. The filename may contain control character.
        Try doing an "ls | od -c". This should give you a hint if it has one or
        not.
        To remove one that does, use wild cards to replace the control character.
        Use "rm -i <filename with wildcards>" if you can't get a wild card pattern
        to isolate the problem filename. (The answer Y or N to delete or not delete
        the file.)
--> This helped greatly. it pointed me in the correct direction..

7. Try carefully doing a wildcard rm / rm -i * or rm -i int* you get the
idea.
        SORTA along the same premise as #6

8. You should be able to delete the file using the file manager. Open file
manager, then click on the oddly named file, and delete it.
--> I didnt think of doing it this way .. but by the time I figured it out
it was too late to use
--> the file manager ... but will try it next time ( but hopfully no next
time will occur )

9. Change the permissions of the file first.
--> I tried chmod 4777 , chmod 0000 , chmod 2777 etc....
--> but to no avail..

10. Do ls -b on that file, chances are it has unprintable characters in it.

11. do an ls -q to verify you have all the filename

12. chmod 777 foo.bar / rm foo.bar
--> see #9

--- Thanx once again this has proven to be a helpful list ...

-- rick



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