Hi all,
I have 2 shell scripts
1. (shutdown1.sh)
#!/bin/sh
/etc/security/console.apps/poweroff

2. (shutdown2.sh)
#!/bin/sh
cd /etc/security/console.apps
poweroff

It's OK when using shutdown2 to shutdown the computer but when using shutdown1, I get the warning: permission denied
Can anyone help me?

There is a subtle difference between the two of them.

In the first script, you use the absolute path to the command. So, /etc/security/console.apps/poweroff is executed with 100% certainty.

In the second script you cd to /etc/security/console.apps, and then execute the poweroff command. This probably doesn't do what you think it is. By default, most linux distributions do not include the current directory as part of your path. So changing directories will not influence what program is executed. The system would look through the directories listed in your PATH environment variable, and execute the first copy of "poweroff" it finds in those directories. To guarantee the poweroff command in the console.apps is executed, you should change "poweroff" to "./poweroff".

If you have modified your PATH environment variable to include the current directory, then the only explanation I can think of would be that the poweroff command is looking for a config or data file using a relative path (like ../somefile for instance).

To know what poweroff command you use in the second script, type which poweroff at a command prompt. If it says anything other than /etc/security/console.apps/poweroff, then your second script isn't executing the same poweroff command as your first one is.

Thanks Helmet for your reply!
The problem is when I log in as test, I can only use shutdown2. Each time I execute shutdown1, I get the following error: "permission denied".

In this setup, a permission problem can come from one of two places:
1. permissions for executing the script itself
2. permissions for executing the program in the script

My previous post was meant to address #2. I felt that you might have overlooked the possibility that the two scripts were potentially executing two different commands (both named poweroff but located in different places). You could get a permission denied error unless both poweroff commands had the exact same permissions.

To address #1 is similar. Each script has its own set of permissions. You use the chmod command to change a file's permissions. Below is a rundown of how permissions are organized. If you're familiar with that info, then all you probably need to do is execute man chmod and read up on how to change the permissions.

Every file in linux (data file, program, script, etc.) has three sets of permissions: user, group, and other. You can see what permissions are allowed with the "ls -l" command. For instance, you might see something like this (minus the colors):
The colors indicate which which users have which permissions.

Green is for the file's owner (in this case: tradew)
Red is for the file's group (in this case: users)
Blue is for anybody else (not the owner and not in the assigned group)

'r' means read; 'w' means write; 'x' means execute; '-' means no permission for that option.

From above, the owner can read, write, and execute the file. Anyone in the group: users can read or execute (but not write) the file, and anyone else can only read the file.

When you do an "ls -l" on your scripts, figure out where your test user fits. Then change the permissions appropriately. For safety, I would give read and execute to whichever set of permissions apply to test. If test is the owner:
chmod u+rx script_name

If test in in the group:
chmod g+rx script_name

If test is in the "others":
chmod o+rx script_name

Note: you have to be root or the file's owner to change the permissions.

Maybe you have the permission to execute the script but you dont have permission to change to that directory where the script is located .I n that case you will have to change permission for that directory as well. Most probably you will have to use ./poweroff ... because current directory will not be in the path and should generally not be in the PATH for security reasons.
Villie

The problem is that 'poweroff' command is located in different places.
Thanks for your helps!