chmod command on long list of files

[Records Management]

I have a directory that has 99,999 files in it.

I want to do a chmod command to change the permissions on all 99,999 files. When I do the chmod command I get:

sh: /usr/bin/chmod: The parameter list is too long.

Do you know how to get me around this?

[Tim Nelson]

If the files are all files in a directory try

chmod -R xxx /my/directory

This will change the directory and all files in it.

Or.

find /my/directory -type f -exec chmod xxx {} \;

[SKR_1]

do chmod permissions * (inside that directory)

Thanks

SKR

[Steven Schweda]

> When I do the chmod command [...]

This is where it would have been helpful to
reveal the actual failing chmod command.

> do chmod permissions * (inside that
> directory)

That might help, but other non-"*" methods
would be safer. (And, for all we know,
that's exactly what you did to get the
original failure.)

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi:

If you want to only act on the files in the directory and not any of the subdirectories, another way is:

# find /path -xdev -type f -print|xargs chown newuser:newgroup

This avoids the potential for an "argument list too long" and avoids forking a separate task for every argument processed.

Regards!

...JRF...

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi (again):

Oh, sorry 'chmod' not 'chown':

# find /path -xdev -type f -print|xargs chmod 644

Regards!

...JRF...

[Bill Hassell]

All command lines are limited in maximum length. So it helps to understand what happens when you use * to choose the files. chmod has no idea what to do with *. To see this, try a chmod 644 "*" or chmod 644 \* -- both these techniques remove the special meaning of * from the shell. What the shell does is to replace the * with all the filenames that match the * character. So the names of all 999999 files were placed on the command line (until it overflowed).

Now you see the really big problems in managing massively large collections of files in a single directory. You cannot use simple * characters but must think carefully how to make sweeping changes to the files. You must use commands that can find the filenames without shell expansion. A good sysadmin will never allow this type of directory structure to be put into production.

[Steven Schweda]

> A good sysadmin will never allow [...]

Where does a system manager get to make a
decision like that?

I'd say that a good system manager would
explain to the users the known problems
associated with such a directory structure,
including the easily anticipated "parameter
list is too long" complaints, and what to do
to avoid them ("find", "xargs", ...).

This allows the system manager to get a good
laugh whenever some here> has a problem of this type, while he
points to the published FAQ document
containing the explanation.

[Dennis Handly]

>Steven: This is where it would have been helpful to reveal the actual failing chmod command.

I'm surprised your 1950 vintage cloudy crystal ball can't figure this one out. ;-)

>JRF: # find /path -xdev -type f -print|xargs chmod 644

Or use -exec +:
# find /path -xdev -type f -exec chmod 644 {} +

>Tim: chmod -R xxx /my/directory

Good trick!
If you don't want to change the directory, save the permissions and then put them back later.