[SOLVED] mkdir with -p and -m does not honor -m all the way

zhjim · 07-15-2013, 06:11 AM

Hi folks,

I found some odd behaviour of mkdir in conjunction with -m and -p. Setting the mode to 0700 only the last directory is created with the right permission. higher up directories get the default umask. All this on debian squeeze.

Is this the same for other distributions?
Is this expected behaviour?

I go around this now in setting umask explicit.

Firerat · 07-15-2013, 06:28 AM

looking at

Code:

info coreutils 'mkdir invocation'

yields

Code:

`-p'
`--parents'
     Make any missing parent directories for each argument, setting
     their file permission bits to the umask modified by `u+wx'.  Ignore
     existing parent directories, and do not change their file
     permission bits.

     To set the file permission bits of any newly-created parent
     directories to a value that includes `u+wx', you can set the umask
     before invoking `mkdir'.  For example, if the shell command
     `(umask u=rwx,go=rx; mkdir -p P/Q)' creates the parent `P' it sets
     the parent's permission bits to `u=rwx,go=rx'.  To set a parent's
     special mode bits as well, you can invoke `chmod' after `mkdir'.
     *Note Directory Setuid and Setgid::, for how the set-user-ID and
     set-group-ID bits of newly-created parent directories are
     inherited.

This is coreutils 8.13, on Debian Jessie

druuna · 07-15-2013, 06:34 AM

This is normal behaviour, which I've seen on, amongst others, RedHat, LFS and Debian.

I agree that it would be nice to have an extra options that sets the permissions on the whole range of directories that are created, but I do see the logic of the current behaviour of the combined -p and -m options.

zhjim · 07-15-2013, 06:46 AM

I only checked the manpage. I always forget info.

Also --mode mentions "created directories" but I guess this only applies if multiple directories are created and not the -p option.

Thanks Firerat. I mark as solved.

@druuna: I'd rather have it the default if -m is given that all the directories get that permission. I guess there are pros and cons depending on what one wants to do. In my case the mode should be applied all the way cause its just one plain way. But for example creating log files like mkdir -p /var/log/olddir/{syslog,exim,someother,stuff} for logrotation I sure want olddir to be umask'ed.

I just have to remember that behaviour.