sgid question (really scratching my head!!!!)

[joseph wholey]

Why, can't user "manager" change the permissions on file /depts/hr/mgr.sh? Group has rwx.

[manager@jgwlinux /]$ id manager
uid=521(manager) gid=521(manager) groups=521(manager),10000(sales),10001(hr),10002(web)

[manager@jgwlinux /]$ ls -ld /depts
drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 Sep 25 13:54 /depts

[manager@jgwlinux /]$ ls -la /depts
total 36
drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 Sep 25 13:54 .
drwxr-xr-x 25 root root 4096 Sep 24 20:17 ..
drwxrws--- 2 root hr 4096 Sep 25 15:43 hr

[manager@jgwlinux hr]$ ls -la /depts/hr
total 20
drwxrws--- 2 root hr 4096 Sep 25 15:43 .
drwxr-xr-x 5 root root 4096 Sep 25 13:54 ..
-rw-rw-r-- 1 manager hr 35 Sep 25 15:10 mgr.sh

[Ivan Ferreira]

Only the user owner can change the permissions of a file. Group permissions indicates if the file can be read, writed or executed, but does not indicates that the permissions can be modified.

[joseph wholey]

Ivan, ok... that makes sense. Which leads me to my next question: how then (without intervention from root), can the user manager create a file in the /depts/hr directory that is executable? e.g. mgr.sh.

[Ivan Ferreira · Accepted solution]

Wait a minute, I was seeing wrong your previous post, I was thinking that the owner of mgr.sh was root.hr. In this case, the owner of mgr.sh is manager, so it should be able to change the permissions of the file.

What happens if you try to change the permissions of the file? what is the command that you use? what is the error that you get?

[joseph wholey]

Ivan... thanks for your help. It was an oversight. sorry!!!