I have a permissions issue with a webserver I inherited. I'm not a server admin just an application developer so I'm not sure why I can't remove files outside the route web directory. What I mean is the server is storing tar files below the root web directory when it runs a cron/archive script. I can download these files via FTP but I can't delete them. I am logged in as the account admin though possibly not as the server root. Is that my problem? I need to ftp in as server root? the files are killing the server space wise and I need to get some of them off.

You can't delete them because you don't have permission. To get permission, you'll have to convince the owner of the server to give you permission. This doesn't necessary mean you'll get root permission, though it might.

Curiously, I am facing the exact same problem. I have inherited a server that is not being maintained and the log files are many gigabytes large. Right now I am going back and forth with my client and the owner of the server (not the same person). Until someone does something (such as give me root access) my client's work is at a standstill because I need to access those logs and their huge size is making that impossible via a web interface. The server owner is (1) being lazy about maintaining the server and (2) dragging his heels about giving me root access.

I actually do have root accesss to the server. I just tend to stay out of there as much as possible. I guess I need to dig through the password list and determine what the root password is. Can I use that in an FTP client?