Ownership of all files

grady61 · 12-20-2011, 12:29 AM

Hello Folks....As you can tell I am a newbie and gonna need all the help I can get...Been around PC's for years and have dabbled with Linux a good while back nothing to intense at all. I think I did it just because I just wanted to see if I could make it work.I did and just set up a ftp site for the heck of it.However as fate would have it I have more time on my hands now days that I used to due to a medical condition.I no longer can hold down a full time job so stuck at home and can only play so much farmville/army games so I chose to build me a Linux server out of some of my old scrap parts that I had in my stash...So anyhow I will be bending your ears for a while.What I am facing is #1 I can't change my video..I have read and done most everything I have found to read on that. So I got the bright idea to find that file copy then edit it and then replace it..No Go..Don't have the permission to do so. "That I don't understand...I built and I use same pwd but have not the permission to make that kind of change.. next issue...#2 Found out how to start the FTP sever up started then was denied because it could not create a file in the var folder..So if anyone has the time to help this slow okie out, the help will be most welcomed... So basically I feel that the main issue is the permissions on files and folders....How do I take possesion of them.....HEELLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks
Grady G

ashish_neekhra · 12-20-2011, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grady61

Hello Folks....As you can tell I am a newbie and gonna need all the help I can get...Been around PC's for years and have dabbled with Linux a good while back nothing to intense at all. I think I did it just because I just wanted to see if I could make it work.I did and just set up a ftp site for the heck of it.However as fate would have it I have more time on my hands now days that I used to due to a medical condition.I no longer can hold down a full time job so stuck at home and can only play so much farmville/army games so I chose to build me a Linux server out of some of my old scrap parts that I had in my stash...So anyhow I will be bending your ears for a while.What I am facing is #1 I can't change my video..I have read and done most everything I have found to read on that. So I got the bright idea to find that file copy then edit it and then replace it..No Go..Don't have the permission to do so. "That I don't understand...I built and I use same pwd but have not the permission to make that kind of change.. next issue...#2 Found out how to start the FTP sever up started then was denied because it could not create a file in the var folder..So if anyone has the time to help this slow okie out, the help will be most welcomed... So basically I feel that the main issue is the permissions on files and folders....How do I take possesion of them.....HEELLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks
Grady G

Hi Grady, Check if you are logged in as a root user. As root user is the super user can perform anything. If i am not wrong you are logged in as a normal user and changing permissions or ownership's of files & folders which are owned by root.

chrism01 · 12-20-2011, 06:04 PM

It would help us & you enormously if we knew what you were running; post results for

Code:

uname -a

cat /etc/*release*

# lowercase L for this cmd
fdisk -l

and summarize your HW.
These cmds may help to check HW

Code:

lshw
lsusb
lspci

or look in eg /var/log for the file 'dmesg' or '*boot*'

grady61 · 12-20-2011, 11:02 PM

Sorry about that I am running RH9 set up as a server....

Vesa Video Card 128mb
AMD K7 cpu 1.5ghz
1 gig pc3200
80 gig hd
Sony 19" SDM-HS95P flat

chrism01 · 12-21-2011, 06:08 PM

Seriously RH9 (aka Shrike) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hat_Linux ???
If so, that hasn't been updated in years; its going to be extremely vulnerable and not be able to handle modern HW.
You need to go either Centos (free version of RHEL), or Fedora:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CentOS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedora...ting_system%29

John VV · 12-21-2011, 06:44 PM

ashish_neekhra
loging as root has been disabled in most OS for most GUI's

now a test based install on a server that is different

as to RedHat9
that is very very VERY old and unsupported

it went end of life back in 2003
soon after 9 came out redhat renamed things RHEL3 was rh9

DO NOT use RH9 !!!
install a current and supported server OS
RHEL 6.1 is current and requires a $1299USD / year support contract for the server version
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is NOT free .
or
install the free CentOS 6.1 , but there will be no "professional" support.
you are your own support